Loving you, in many ways
by LILMISSS
Summary: A collection of Advanceshipping one-shots, by yours truly. AshMay Advanceshipping SatoHaru AaMayL...need I say more?
1. Mistaken

Mistaken

**Mistaken**

**Author's note: I've been thinking of this ever since…I'm not too sure when, but whatever it is, it's been bugging my brain. And since this won't really fit in to my other AshMay story (3 MORE REVIEWS! HELP ME ACCOMPLISH MY GOAL OF 50 REVIEWS PLEASE!), I just decided to write it out here. Um, yeah. R&R!**

**The first one-shot for this collection. **

"Ash, c'mon, just get over with it…" May tugged her boyfriend's arm pleadingly. She had been whining for him to get inside ever since they got in front of May's quaint little house.

"But, May, it's your PARENTS I'm gonna meet." Ash retorted.

May thought for a moment. "Just treat it like you're a famous superstar and you're being interviewed." And after that was said, she fumbled in her pocket for her keys.

"More like interrogation…" Ash murmured.

May chuckled as she finally found her keys. "Ash, you'll be fine. I'm positive." She squeezed his hand tightly in an attempt to reassure him. Then she pecked him on his cheek.

Ash blushed. "What was THAT for?" he asked.

"Good luck."

"I suddenly feel like leaving my girlfriend now…" Ash remarked sarcastically. May dragged him in anyway.

Caroline and Norman both forced out a smile as the young couple came in.

"Welcome, Ash." Norman greeted, his cold stare almost piercing Ash's throat.

"U-Uh, yeah, thanks. Glad to be here." Ash felt a lump in his throat. He smiled at his girlfriend's parents.

"Well, do make yourself at home. May, you look like you've just ran 10 rounds around the area; go take a nice, LONG shower." Caroline slowly escorted May to her bedroom to get a bath. Ash had noted the fact her mum placed much emphasis on the word 'long'.

He gulped. This was not good…

Ash watched as his girlfriend walk into her bedroom. He laughed nervously as Norman stood up from his seat.

"Ash, take a seat. This will take a while." Norman escorted his young nervous unwanted guest to the dining table. Ash sat at one end, while Norman sat at the other end. Caroline soon joined her husband.

Norman cleared his throat. "Now, Ash, how is your work so far?"

Ash raised his eyebrows, but he did not question the validity of the query. "Well…" Ash wanted to lie, but he just couldn't. "Not that good."

Caroline and Norman exchanged glances. Caroline frowned. "So, how do you expect us to actually let you be May's boyfriend?"

Norman nodded. "May is one of the top in the school, and ever since she started schooling in this current school, boys have been wooing her."

"Yes, I don't see why she would date YOU out of all people. There's Drew, he's always one position above her…"

"…And that boy, ah yes, Brendan, he is the head of the prefects. I doubt you ever achieved something of such high standard?"

Ash cringed. This was getting out of hand. But yet, for May, he decided to come clean. Yes, for her…

"I'm just a member of the school basketball team. We have yet to win any major competition."

All he had, Ash thought, was his undying love for her.

He remembered the times when Drew and Brendan harassed May to no end, she was so upset. The fact that the two did not give up angered him.

He told them off in front of May, but they beat him up after school. May was crying, her tears streaking down her face, just begging them to stop.

But all Ash could think about was May.

Norman interrupted his chain of thoughts. "That's sad. Truly. Though I'm not surprised."

Ash got slightly maddened, but he did not show it.

This was for May.

His one love.

"We're working hard." Ash simply replied.

Caroline stood up abruptly from her chair. "This is simply outrageous." She slammed her hand onto the table top, jolting Ash. "You're just a normal average guy. How could such an accomplished girl like May ever date you?"

Norman placed his hand on Caroline's shoulder, calming her. "Well, after whatever we've told you…I suppose you know what to do?"

Ash felt his heart explode and shatter and stabbed all at the same time. He forced back a cry. All this…it was over.

"I understand. I'll tell her. And I'll take my leave now. Sorry for bothering you." Ash gave the two parents a small smile.

He left. He left behind his one and only love behind. All in the dust. They would soon become distant memories of his. Walking down memory lane anytime now would be hard. And it will always be.

Caroline and Norman, after ensuring the boy had left the house for good, smiled at each other. "Well, THAT'S over." Norman heaved a sigh, hugging Caroline.

Caroline giggled. "I'll make dinner." And she quickly pried herself out of Norman's hug.

--

"B-But why, Ash?" May cried. Her body was visibly shaking. "This had better not be some stupid joke of yours, Ash, 'cause it's not funny!"

Ash was at her doorstep, just resisting the urge to just hug her. Resisting the urge to tell her, no, he was not going to do this, because he loved her too much. Resisting the urge to tell her all about the talk with her parents. Resisting everything.

"May, you should get someone else for your boyfriend. You're almost perfect. I mean, you're smart, pretty, and most wonderful girl I've met." Ash reached out to wipe away her tears, but he stopped himself, letting his hand drop back.

"I'm just a normal average guy. And there are other even better boys out there for you, May."

May sobbed even harder. "A-Ash…" she couldn't speak. Emotions were too overwhelming.

Ash let a tear drop make its way down his cheek. "I'll see you at school then. Don't blame yourself, it's just me."

He quickly turned away and ran off, biting his lip just trying to stop the tears, to just bottle everything up.

May continued sobbing. Her eyes were already red from rubbing, and she was still shaking from the trauma.

No. She could not believe it.

"May…May…you okay?" Caroline cooed, her hands smoothing May's soft brown hair, all messed up and wet from crying.

"Mum..." May gulped hard to stop her cries. "He was so nice to me…I loved him for him."

May regained her composure. "Remember that time when I had to pass by some nightclubs to get home after school? And it was dark then. Ash…he followed me back."

_May sighed as she looked at the school gate. She frowned as she remembered the gang fights she witnessed on her way back home. They were terrifying._

_She was pulled back to reality when she felt a tap on her shoulder. "You're not going home?" Ash asked. His small smile warmed her, causing her to blush._

"_Y-yeah…"_

_Ash looked at her face. "You're scared?"_

_May looked at him. "Yeah, kinda. I pass by some nightclubs before reaching home. They have gang fights there often."_

"_Well, I'll go with you."_

"_W-What?"_

_Ash blinked. "I'll follow you." _

May smiled at the many memories she shared. "There was a gang fight after all, but Ash managed to get me home safely. He got a few bruises, so that explains the plaster on his arm. You didn't see that though."

Caroline was stunned.

May sniffed, and she recounted yet another incident.

"_N-No, stop, no, please, don't hurt me!" May cried, her arms bruised up, and her cheek still stung from the slap she received from the girl._

_The girl, she frowned. "Well, our top student, begging for mercy? Ha, that's pathetic." She laughed, while her friend lit up a cigarette. The tormentor took the cigarette._

"_Now…" she gave May a grin. Let's see how our top student escapes THIS." And she stubbed her cigarette violently on May's arm._

_May screamed in pain. No one would hear her cries though, she was in the female toilet, at 5. There were almost no girls here, only guys._

_The girl grinned. She continued hitting her, blow after blow, screaming vulgarities. "This is for all that comparison teachers made between you and me!"_

_Just then, someone ran into the toilet. Ash tackled the unaware girl to the ground. "Get away." He hissed at her. The whole gang ran away._

_Ash looked at May, crying from the pain she received. "You okay? Look, I'll carry you back. Hop on." He slowly lifted May from the ground and got her on his back. Then, he began a slow, somewhat tiring walk back to her house._

"I told him to leave me on the doorstep and he did just that. Mum, I didn't just hobbled back home like what I told you. I lied." May sighed, before sobbing once more, this time in her mother's arms. Caroline was shocked. That boy she chased away…he cared so much.

"May, darling, go to sleep, you'll be alright." Caroline cooed.

"I love him, and I always will." May whispered audibly. Then she slowly walked back up to the room.

Caroline watched until May went in. She heard the sobs, the wails, the cries. It was heart-wrenching.

She looked around, and called out. "Norman."

As suspected, Norman came out.

"You-"

"I heard everything."

Caroline sighed.

"We should tell him."

Caroline and Norman sat down, this time in front of the computer screen. Norman started typing:

_Dear Ash:_

_We think we've been too harsh on you, and we weren't thinking of how our May would feel. She was crying uncontrollably, I'm sure you'll know that._

_Now, back to our point. We Maples do not beat around the bush. So we're telling you this. We were mistaken. And we're sorry. You may take her back._

_After hearing about the two incidents that May told us, we realized how much you loved her, how concerned you were for her. And May, she really felt the same way for you. Take her, my boy, but please, don't break her heart. That's all that we ask._

_With warm smiles,_

_May's parents._

The two printed it out, and they signed on it. "Let's mail it."

The very next day, Ash appeared in front of the Maples' house. He was holding a bunch of roses, May's favourite.

The door was answered. Norman smiled at the boy. "She's upstairs. Go get her, my boy." He winked.

Ash laughed. "Thanks, Mr Maple."

Norman grinned. "And give her a kiss. It heals everything."


	2. Birthday

**Birthday**

It was Ash's 14th birthday.

May was wondering about in a departmental store, looking for something suitable to give to him.

Her search result? Horrifying.

May sighed as she looked about, her eyes darting frantically.

Tomorrow was school, when she was due to give it to him.

She sighed again, thinking of how mad her mother would be if she stayed any longer in the shopping mall.

"What CAN I get for a guy like Ash?" she asked herself.

A female salesgirl walked up to May, "Excuse me, are you looking for something?"

May shot a look at the salesgirl. "Yeah."

The salesgirl smiled. "For a guy, I suppose?"

"W-What..? Oh, right, yeah. I'm looking for a birthday present."

"I'll show you something. It's quite special." The salesgirl chuckled to herself, and she quickly lead May away from the area.

* * *

May soon found herself looking at a whole shelf of plush toys. "Um," May started, but the salesgirl cut her off when she held out two star-shaped fruit plushies tied together.

"What's that?" May asked, putting her hand out to take the toy for further inspection.

"It's what people call a paopu fruit." The salesgirl replied, still smiling as widely as ever. "Legend says that if you were to get one, you should share and eat it with the one you love, and the paopu fruit will guarantee everlasting love."

May smiled. "That's nice." And her thoughts somehow wandered off to Ash. THAT was weird…

The salesgirl nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but since it's just a legend, and the paopu fruit doesn't really exist, all we have of it are toys. You can write a note if you want to. It's quite a nice gift for your boyfriend."

May blushed. "B-Boyfriend? N-no, he's not really, um, yeah know…" And she got all flustered.

"But you like him, no?"

May thought about it. She was about to speak, but she realized she was about to trust someone whom she had just met a few moments ago.

The salesgirl almost read her mind. "Well, if you don't wanna tell me, that's okay. It's a nice gift, anyway, for any person." Then she turned away. "If you need me, I'll be around here somewhere."

May laughed. "Thanks a lot!" she chirped.

"No problem."

Now, at least May's search for a perfect gift was done.

The perfect gift was one that could properly show how much she loved him.

* * *

May was at home, in front of the computer, with the pair of Paopu fruit plushies in her hand. She looked at the messenger screen. No, he wasn't on. At least Ash wouldn't distract her from writing down her little note, to be placed into his paopu.

May started writing:

_We've been friends for a year or so, but I felt that we've known each other ever since we were in pampers._

_But recently, I've been thinking, for no apparent reason, whether I want you more as a friend._

_Well, finally, on your birthday, I decided to come clean. With a short sweet message. I'm not really an author, though my essay was featured in the collection of top essays compiled by the teachers. I guess I was lucky enough to get a nice teacher to mark it._

_Ugh, enough of all this talk, let me just tell you how much I've been thinking of you._

_The way you smile, it's like I'm in paradise. It's attractive, and so infectious._

_I especially love your embarrassed smile when people tease us for some reason or so, or when we suddenly look at each other for no reason at all. To be honest, I think it's more adorable than my collection of plush toys, their adorable-ness all added together. And my toys ARE cute, so you should know how cute you look._

_Then, whenever I see your hair all cute and unkempt, you should know how much I feel like making it even more untidy. I feel like poking all the cute ends of your spikes. Even though you had never washed it for weeks, I'll still touch it. Now, I have to find a way to reach out without stretching…_

_I still remember the time when I dropped my book and we both reached out for it. Our hands met, and the only thing that I wanted to do was to quickly grab it. But, apparently you pulled away in embarrassment._

_Oh well. I still saw your adorable smile._

_And the time when you walked me back to school, because I still had some extra stuff to do at school, I felt like I had the whole world with me. _

_Just you, and me._

_The more I thought about this, the harder I fell for you._

_I just want to say this, Ash Ketchum, that I love you._

_Happy birthday._

May read the letter over and over again, to check for any typo errors, and she tried putting herself in Ash's shoes, reading it and thinking how he would feel if he were to receive it.

She looked up. It was already 9. Ugh.

Then something orange lit up in the computer screen. Ash Ketchum.

May smiled to herself.

* * *

"May, why am I here again?" Dawn, May's irreplaceable best friend asked, "And WHY are we at some random classroom…oh, wait, don't tell me…"

May grinned. "Yep. It's Ash's classroom, and it's his birthday."

Dawn looked at May with a hint of shock. "You never gave ME a present."

"That's because I just met you this year, and your birthday's in December. That's two months away, no?"

"Well, I don't mind getting my birthday present in October."

May rolled her eyes. She walked into the classroom.

She paused for awhile. Where was Ash's table again?

Again, someone read her mind. "Your boyfriend's table is over there.

May looked at one of Ash's friend, Drew, and she smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

She hurried to Ash's table, slipped the paopu fruit under it, and quickly got back to her classroom.

* * *

Ash slumped back into his seat. "Ugh, can't believe I ran to school, and then I realized it was 6 and not 7…" He muttered, habitually putting his hands underneath his desk. Instead of feeling thin air, he felt something soft.

He pulled the mysterious object out.

A star-shaped fruit.

"Eh?"

He turned it around and around, looking for something.

"A…note?" he noticed a sheet of paper sticking out of the fruit.

Ash read it.

After what seemed like an hour, he finished reading it.

He knew, or hoped that the mysterious sender would be her.

May Maple.

* * *

Ash bolted out of the classroom, and straight to May's.

"MAY!" he called out.

May ran out of the classroom. "Yeah?" she asked. Then she noticed the paopu fruit in his hand, and then she remembered she was holding the other paopu fruit in her hand.

"Oh…Ash, I-"

Ash didn't need a reply. He didn't need an apology. All he needed now, was her.

He brought his face close to May's and he quickly pressed his lips against hers.

May broke it off to speak.

"Happy birthday. Like the gift?"

Ash looked at her, and smiled. "Yeah, I love them."

"Them?"

"Your paopu fruit, and you."

And he kissed her once more.

* * *

**A/N: The paopu fruit thing, it's from Kingdom Hearts. Yeah…**


	3. Injury

Okay, third story

**Okay, third story. I have AN EXTRA ONE DAY OF HOLIDAYS! But I have a concert today, so that makes two days which is one weekend which is pretty much the same. UGH.**

**Will be updating Chapter 11 of Life is never happy all the time, so watch out for that. And MAYBE I'll throw in another one shot. **

**And, this idea was taken when I was listening to some random song and thinking of how I'll react to you (I FINALLY SAID IT!) getting injured (you broke your arm 3 times…right?) and then I just thought of this.**

May had, so far, encountered only one traumatic incident, and that was when she found herself sleeping in her favourite class. That was horrifying, if you knew that the teacher was notorious for causing scratch marks on naughty and lazy students' arms and legs. Ouch.

So that was the first one. It was definitely not her last.

May had, by far, the most traumatic experience ever in her 14 years of living and existing on our poor Earth who had BETTER NOT SUCCUMB TO GLOBAL WARMING. 

"WHAAAATTTTTTT?!" May yelled at the top of her voice.

Ash looked up (yes, up) at May, and gave a nervous chuckle. "Um, yeah. I got injured yesterday while playing soccer…is this going to be the last time I'm telling you this? You've been like this ever since you saw me."

May stared at him like it was the dumbest and simplest question next to the question "hello?" when people pick up the phone. And it's quite simple, really, just say something. Babies could do that if they had a voice.

"Ash, you got injured even AFTER I TOLD YOU NOT TO TACKLE YOUR FRIENDS?"

"I didn't tackle them. They tackled me FIRST." Ash retorted in response, before closing his mouth with his hand abruptly, realizing his grave mistake.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Ash gulped. He waved his arm in an attempt to cool her down. "May, don't scream so loud! I mean, it's just a leg injury…and I'll be wheelchair-bound for a while…just three more days till I get crutches!"

May bulged her eyes wider than before, showing her huge sapphire eyes. "Ash Ketchum! THAT'S THE PROBLEM! YOU'RE A FRIGGIN HANDICAP FOR GOODNESS SAKE!"

"B-But May-"

"NO BUTS ASH!" May snapped, before breathing in sharply.

"It's nothing, really!"

"I DON'T CARE! FROM NOW ON, I'm TAKING CARE OF YOUR EVERY NEED!"

Ash was expecting her to tell him off about not listening to her safety rules before he went to play soccer with his friends. Ever since Ash told her his feelings for her, she was always worried about his well-being. May even asked Ash whether he changed his underwear during camp, but that was because his mother told her to do so.

But this proposal made by May, it came as a shocker.

May noted his sudden silence, and had a quick change of attitude. "Well, this is to show how much I love you, darling!" she grinned happily and hugged Ash from his wheelchair.

Ash blushed. "W-What?"

"I'm proving my undying love for you by helping you with stuff a handicap can't do."

And that was that.

DAY 1 OF MAY'S PROPOSAL

"NO, NO, NO MAY, THE LIBRARY'S THERE!! NO, TURN LEFT! ARGH YOU MISSED THE TTTTUUUURRRNNNN!!" Ash was desperately trying not to scream. He simply put his hands and his right, non-injured leg up and covered his body in a defensive stance, bracing himself for the impact.

May was running frantically, trying very hard to stop the wheelchair, but every effort was in vain. She was yelling to students in the frenzied wheelchair's path to stay away, but some unfortunate ones got rammed by the wheelchair. Most of them were accidental, except for a stuck up, green-haired boy who was constantly flirting with May. Yes, May was a little evil.

Their last and possibly final victims? A plump teacher accompanied by two more plump students. Perfect to stop the wheelchair; and at the same time a good cushion for whatever horrifying impact the two had to face.

May looked at the three, and somehow she accidentally released her grip on the wheelchair handles. Ash braced himself.

"AHHHHHHH!!"

CRASH!

DAY 2 OF MAY'S PROPOSAL

"Sorry…" May looked at Ash with her large, sincere sapphire eyes.

Ash managed to crack a small smile, before wincing in pain as he rubbed his head slowly. It was still cold from the ice packs May brought for him.

May returned his small smile. "So…you forgive me?"

Ash looked at May, and nodded. "Yeah. We have to forgive and forget, you know."

May grinned madly again, causing Ash to laugh, and she immediately leapt forward to hug him. "Aw, thanks Ash!"

She leapt forward so much that the two toppled on the floor, with May's arms still around Ash's neck, and Ash still in his wheelchair, just that the wheelchair flipped over.

But!

May's lips had ACCIDENTALLY landed on Ash's lips. Wonderful timing.

Ash bulged his eyes in response, but quickly gave in and left his lips there.

May, however, quickly broke off the kiss and scrambled up to her feet. "ARGH SORRY AGAIN!" she bowed quickly as an act of apology and got the wheelchair up to its…wheels. Um, yeah.

Ash was blushing madly, as usual. "Um, May, you did realize what we did just now, right?"

May looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I hugged you and we fell over and I was on top of you and my lips landed on yours."

Ash smacked his forehead, not being able to understand why May didn't notice the fact that her lips on his meant that they kissed, but he groaned in pain when he realized he hit that painful spot, the part that was rammed into the three plump people in front, causing them to be thrown out of the way.

"Yeow…"

DAY 3 OF MAY'S PROPOSAL!

"May, you don't really need to do this."

"Ash, it's okay. Anything for my VIP."

"…VIP?"

"VIP. Very. Injured. Person. Also known as, YOU."

"Ugh."

May smiled cutely at her "VIP" before walking up to the huge crowd, and then she grabbed some random person by the collar, and said, "LET MY BOYFRIEND THROUGH!"

Everyone, upon looking at how high the poor victim was lifted up, stepped away, leaving a nice, empty spot for Ash to buy his food.

"May-"

"Just get your food. I'll deal with the crowd." And she continued giving out threats to anyone who dared defy her.

Ash sighed. If he could walk now, he would get out of the stinking wheelchair and pull May away.

May got a bunch of girls out of their own table (you DON'T wanna know what happened to them…), and the two promptly sat there.

"May, you were a little rough just now…"

May raised her eyebrows. "Rough?" And she smiled. "Girls can go to the extremes to help their loved ones you know. Even if it means embarrassing oneself, or just freaking out abnormally, or maybe just doing stuff girls won't really do…we do that for love."

Ash looked at May confusedly, but he decided not to pursue the matter. He continued gobbling up his food, like any other day. Just that this time he felt much shorter.

May looked at Ash in slight disdain. "Ash, eat a little slower, let it digest well." She chided.

Ash shrugged, and continued wolfing down his food.

"You're using the fact that your mouth's full as an excuse for not answering me, eh?"

Ash swallowed his final piece of fish. "Yeah, kinda. Anyway I'm done with my food."

He proceeded to clear his plate, but May put her foot on the wheel, stopping all possible movements with the wheelchair. Ash spun his head around. "What?"

May brought her face closer to Ash's, and then she whispered, "I'm clearing that."

Leaving the shocked Ash behind, she pulled the plate out of his hand and cleared it quickly. He was being typical Ash, blushing madly, as usual.

"Girls…I can never understand them."

"I HEARD THAT, ASH KETCHUM!"

May happily wheeled Ash back to his house, humming a tune of some weird song as she skipped along. Ash was doing his homework, and taking May's steady wheeling for granted.

"Um, okay…w-wait, what was the Pythagoras' Theorem again…? Oh, yeah…" Ash was mumbling a lot to his math homework. He bit his pencil as he fumbled over one puny question.

Ash decided that his brain needed a nice, long break, and turned around to face May, still humming a tune. He stared at her for a while.

Her eyes were shining, her lips formed a huge grin, and she was apparently oblivious to the fact that Ash was staring at her.

"May."

May snapped out of her…trance. "Yeah?"

"You look cute like that."

May got a little hyper from the comment, and she walked faster.

"If I weren't in a wheelchair, I'd touch your cheeks. They look nice to pinch."

May got slightly more hyper and she started jogging.

"Love ya."

May started running for no apparent reason. Ash FINALLY noticed the tremendous speed, then he looked in front. The stairs were right up ahead.

"MAY, STOP THE WHEELCHAIR!!"

Too late. The two were practically thrown on the staircase with all that kinetic energy. Ash managed to brake his wheelchair, and the wheelchair had its two wheels on two consecutive steps, one wheel for one step.

May was unlucky; she fell all the way down. Ash cringed as he watched helplessly at May.

"YEOW (SLAM) HURTS (SLAM) ARGH (SLAM) CAN'T (THUD) FEEL (BONG) LEG!"

A FEW DAYS LATER!

Ash managed to make a speedy recovery, and soon he was back on his feet (LOL.) He looked around, and saw a familiar face.

"ASH! DON'T COME NEAR ME!"

Ash cackled evilly. Injuries weren't so bad after all…

**I thought it was a little…not good? Um, I thought of the first part, but I didn't think of how short it would be…ah well. R&R!**

**SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING WHILE YOU WERE ONLINE!! **


	4. Exchange Programmes

****

I thought I could type this out in school, but the computer in the library was too slow. I typed a whole chunk, and I tried saving only to realize that it can't be saved in my thumbdrive, 'cause the computer stinks. Amazing, no?

**I hope you all know what exchange programmes (wow, big words) are. Basically, it's two schools sending over students to the other school to experience life there. Usually exchange programmes involve two schools in two different countries. Okay, I guess I explained enough.**

**This story will have advanceshipping moments, but no kisses. 'Cause I can't describe kisses, and for all the kissing scenes I just use phrases from other love fanfics. How am I supposed to know how one feels like in the first place? Ah well.**

**Okay, I should stop blabbering. This story is for my exchange buddy whose name translates to "dream star" in English from Chinese. Meng Xing, whether you're an advanceshipper or not, or in the first place whether you actually READ English, or even know that Pokemon existed. WELCOME TO SINGAPORE (I mean, when you get here on Monday, and then when I meet you on Tuesday) WITH BIG SMILES FROM MUAHHH!! (and some buddies will say that...plus my family when you come for the homestay...and the whole school...)**

* * *

Ash looked up at his exchange buddy. His hair was a mass of purple, and if it weren't for his cold, freaky eyes he would be mistaken for a girl. And he was tall. Despite the fact that Ash played basketball everyday, his exchange buddy was a head taller than Ash himself.

The exchange buddy was grinning madly. Wow.

"Good morning." the boy said monotonously, despite his grin. Must be the teacher who told them to be friendly. "I am Shinji, and I hail from Japan." (Obviously, he's Paul)

Ash nervously forced out a laugh. "Hi, I'm Ash Ke-"

"Shut up."

"…Fi-"

"SHUT it." (Typical Paul attitude…MUAHAHAHA.)

Ash was OBVIOUSLY taken aback by his cold attitude.

* * *

May smiled warmly as the young girl merrily skipped towards her. The blue-haired girl giggled. "Hiyaaa! I'm Hikari!" she chirped, grinning. Then she looked around the area in awe. "Wowee, nice school you've got!" (Um, if Paul's here, so is DAWN!)

May laughed. "Glad you like it. I'm May, nice to meet you!"

Hikari extended out her hand. "We usually bow to each other in Japan, but I kinda hate it. SO! I wanna shake hands instead!"

May shook it, and Hikari was being so hyper she shook it vigorously, until May was…shaking after the Japanese girl let go.

"N-Nice h-handsh-shake you've g-got..." May's voice was equally shaking.

"THANKS!!" And Hikari stopped May from vibrating by hugging her wildly. "YIPPPEEEEAAA!!"

How Horrifyingly Hyperactiveness Hikari Has. (...WOW 5 Hs!)

* * *

Ash and Shinji walked towards the toilet, but the entrance was blocked by May and Hikari.

"Ash." May hissed, glaring at the most annoying person in the world.

"May." The boy spat back.

"OMG SHINJIII!!" Hikari squealed, before hugging him affectionately.

"Hi Hikari." Shinji was…smiling naturally! Ash gaped in shock.

May was gaping in shock from what Hikari did to the most annoying person's exchange buddy.

Hikari, on realizing that the two native students were still unaware of what's happening quickly stood up. Then she took May's hands in hers, and she pleaded, "Can you and your friend here," she gestured towards Ash, "follow one another so Shinji and I can have some QUALITY TIME to ourselves? We promise we'll show PDA!" and she...glomped Shinji, hugging him and spoiling him with...smooches.

Shinji blushed upon. He hastily spoke to Hikari in Japanese, and after listening, Hikari shook her head and replied in the foreign language, in an even cheerful tone.

Ash and May stared at the couple.

"If…they wanna be together…that would mean-" Ash was cut off.

"Yes, Ash Ketchum AKA stupid face, we have to HANG OUT TOGETHER!" May flailed her arms, bewildered at the prospect of hanging out with HIM.

"Can we scream?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Hikari and Shinji strolled in front, arms linked up together, while Ash and May sulked behind.

"This reeks…" they both murmured simultaneously, at the exact same time whipping their heads around to find the other source that quoted them. They looked at each other and groaned.

Hikari looked behind, and she grinned at the two.

"CAN WE GO TO THE ROMANTIC FOUNTAIN NEARBY?!" she asked, practically screaming.

Ash and May remembered what the teacher said, "Be nice to them, heed their EVERY command, and we shall pull the school up in our polite ranks from the 509th rank to at least 400th! We're the last on this list, so DON'T SCREW UP!"

"…Okay, okay." May mumbled, but it was loud enough for Hikari to hear.

"YAYYY!!"

* * *

Ash and May sat down, watching as Hikari and Shinji frolicked about around the fountain, like a Bollywood love show when the main actor and actress run around in circles while dancing and singing, and while the actor is chasing the actress (My art teacher used this example to tell us about two guys who were chasing each other around the school…GAYS!)

"Why do I get the feeling they're gonna sing like what they do in movies?" May asked herself loudly.

"Why do I get the feeling that you can read my MIND?!" Ash wailed. He sighed. "I hate you, May."

"Ditto." May huffed. "Look, Hikari's singing a solo for Shinji now."

True enough, Hikari was…singing.

Shinji was trying to stifle a hearty, warm, non-cold laugh as Hikari pranced and sang around him.

An old lady passed by the fountain. She looked at Hikari and Shinji, the latter finally laughing (coldly) and Ash and May, sulking and shooting death glares.

"You two look cuter together than the other couple there, and you still don't want to cherish such compatibility! How awfully wasteful!" the old lady poked Ash's shoulder with the end of her umbrella, shaking her head as she looked at the two.

"I mean, sapphire eyes and deep black eyes? They match up! And from your seating position, I can tell that-"

Ash and May stared blankly at the lady, before Ash snapped at her. "Lady, just so for your information, we hate each other like we hate bathing."

May's face changed. "Ash, I LOVE bathing! Why can't you say we hate it like basketball?"

"But I LOVE basketball!"

"Oh, right, I love basketball too."

"Aw, darn it, May, you're spoiling our chances of getting rid of the old hag in front of us!" Ash yelled, and before he knew it the old lady had violently hit him on the head with her umbrella. Then she walked off, muttering something about a lunatic couple-to-be.

"You're bleeding, old-lady-curser." May stated, before realising what she said was VERY true.

"OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OM-"

"SHUT UP!"

May quickly pulled out a mini first-aid kit from her pocket. Ash raised his eyebrows.

"Who brings a first-aid kit to school?" he asked incredulously, staring at her like it was the dumbest thing ever to be done on the face of the earth.

"My mum told me to. She's like that, all fussy about my welfare."

Ash laughed. "Mums. Mine too. She makes me carry THREE of them!" and he paused to wince from the immense pain he received when May bandaged his head, "Does your mum asks you to change your underwear?"

May widened her eyes. "Hell yeah, plus everything else that I wear."

"To sit properly?" Ash asked, his voice raising.

"I can quote! 'Sit, child, for you are a lady!' Trust me, it's weird!" May replied, her eyes shining.

"Tells you to shut your mouth while eating??"

"Yeah!"

"Tells you to stop singing in the showers!?"

"Oh yeah! She needs to be able to hear her voice while singing!"

"And- and, tells you to get fat the first day and says you're too fat the next?!"

"YEAH!"

"TELLS YOU TO GET 10 KIDS FOR HER?!"

* * *

"SHE TOLD ME TO GET 15!"

* * *

And this...interesting exchange continued, until the entire park was staring at the two who were blurting out about what their mums did whenever they executed a bad habit, and stuff.

"We can all relate to THAT!" May exclaimed, practically rolling on the floor laughing if she weren't bandaging Ash's head. "I mean, mums go to the extremes of doing something!"

"Nah, you're the only one who believed me so far." Ash pointed out.

May rolled her eyes, before finally letting go of the bandage, all plastered neatly on Ash's head.

"There! Done." May looked at Ash, and they both exchanged grins. "Well, we should probably get the two for dinner. And then we have to collect their stuff for the homestay..."

Ash groaned. "Aw, man, I have to put up with Shinji's coldness."

May sighed. "I have to endure Hikari's hyperactiveness." And they both looked at each other, and started sulking together.

"We'll wait for 'em to get hungry, but at this rate it isn't possible..." May murmured, watching as Shinji tackled Hikari to the ground and started tickling her.

May spoke too soon. "MAY-CHAN! I WANNA EAT!" Hikari shoved Shinji away, and skipped towards the duo.

"Okay...so what do you wanna eat?"

* * *

"I want that weird fish and chips set, but that's only because Hikari said so." Shinji spat, causing Hikari to burst into fits of giggles. "BUT! I want no mayonnaise."

"Okay, so th-" Ash was taking orders from Shinji.

"And I want the fish to be exactly 500 grams; they won't make me fat. I want the fish to be steamed, not fried, and with no oil at all. And also-"

Ash grimaced. "Shinji, you're here in an exchange programme to ADAPT to our lifestyle, and see what we eat and stuff. So I suggest you don't demand anything stupid like steamed fish when the store is famous for their FRIED fish."

"Well, no wonder, the stall vendors are terrifyingly fat."

"GAH!"

* * *

"So, Hikari, whaddya want?" May asked politely, trying not to lash out at the girl after she ran around in circles because she saw fire in the kitchen. They were JUST COOKING.

"Um...can I see the menu?" Hikari asked meekly, looking around the area in awe.

"Sure."

Hikari took the menu, and flipped through the pages. As she continued looking, her eyes widened more and more. May thought she saw something at the side of Hikari's mouth, but she decided not to ask.

When Hikari had finished looking, May took it back. "So, Hikari, whaddya want?" May asked the same question.

"EVERYTHING!"

* * *

Ash looked at Shinji. He was...dissecting the fish and eating the non-fried part. "Dude, you're not gonna eat that?" Ash asked, pointing at the fried parts that were neatly pushed away.

Shinji did not reply. He simply took out a piece of tissue to squeeze out the excess oil out of his soon-to-be-eaten fish.

The raven-haired boy wrinkled his nose at his exchange buddy. "Ew."

Shinji smirked, and he opened up the tissue to revealed a very gross version of the crushed fish. Ash's face turned green, then back to normal. "Heh, you should see we Japanese cut up the fish LIVE."

Ash bolted to the toilet nearby to puke.

* * *

May looked into her wallet. Nothing left for herself. And she looked at the table. Empty plates stacked onto each other, and the grisly remains of fish bones, chicken bones, crumbs, drops of soup, vegetables were all scattered over the table.

May twitched as she felt the ketchup on her head drop down to her nose.

The aftermath of the war.

It was over, and she, May Maple, had lost.

Hikari peered over the stacks of food, and she grinned. "You have ketchup!"

She continued licking her lips, then her fingers, one by one. And then she burped. "Woops."

May sighed, patting her empty tummy. It gave a low bellow. "I should eat something later..."

The two girls found a very satisfied Shinji and a very green-faced Ash.

"SHINJI-KUN!" Hikari squealed.

"...Hikari." Shinji gave her a small smile.

May looked at Ash. "Stupid GREEN face." she spat.

"Grrrr." Ash managed to muster, before puking again.

Ash still looked very green, so May decided to smack him on the back, out of pure concern for him. Hard.

SMACK!

Ash practically spit out his vomit. Poor guy. "Um...Ash? You okay?" May asked. And when she saw the "blood" (AKA ketchup) in his vomit she fainted.

Ash's face had turned a healthy pink. "Hey guys, where's May- Oh wait, why is she down there?"

* * *

"May's house...?" Ash looked about the neighbourhood. "...is it THAT one? Or THAT one? Or, wait, what about THAT one?" Ash's eyes darted frantically about, his eyes bouncing off every house. "How do I know where she lives?!"

May was mumbling in her sleep, on Ash's back. Apparently Shinji and Hikari told Ash that he would get 20 dollars for every one kilometre he walked with May on his back. When they had no money.

But Ash was dumb enough to fall for the trap, and he was dense enough to not notice the fact that Shinji and Hikari were looking at Ash and May like they were an item.

Hikari noticed May wake up. "MAY-CHAN!" she yelled, leaping on May who was still on Ash's back. Ash flipped over and collapsed, and May's forehead smacked against Ash's forehead and their noses hit each other. So you could imagine how close they were.

Shinji was evil enough to jump onto the human pile. Instantly, May's cheek brushed against Ash's, while Ash yelped in pain from the weight his body had to support.

"DARN IT!" Shinji groaned, pulling Hikari and himself up. May immediately pulled herself away from Ash.

"Ugh, crap." she frowned, straightening her shirt. She offered Ash a hand, but he was too heavy and in the end May fell on him instead. AGAIN.

"YEO-" Ash was about to yelp when his lips collided onto May's forehead.

"YES!" Shinji punched his fists into the air in triumph, doing a VERY COOL anime pose (unlike Ash who has a cliched pose) Hikari giggled, and hugged Shinji.

May pulled herself away from Ash again, and when they both got up, they both said simultaneously, "Ew, cooties!"

Well, two lovers-to-be think alike, no?

* * *

**FINALLY! YAY! DONE! FINALLY! WOOTS! YAY!...what else can I say?**

**May not be THAT advanceshippy, but...YAY!**

**R&R**


	5. But you didn't realize it

**At least I remembered this idea. I can think of a lot of story ideas on the bus rides back home from school, but I never write them down and I never remember any of them, unless they are somewhat connected to incidents that actually occur, and so far I have only 2 or 3 chapters/stories of them. Chapter 1, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 (a little; I just played around with the butterfly thing), Chapter 10 (the first part?) of Life is never happy all the time, and Chapter 8 'cause I dumped in 3 friends, this collection's Mistaken (I thought of it and now I REALLY want the last part to come true…o.o) and Birthday (but you said you didn't want anything, so yeah. xXlil-eveXx! FIND ME MY PAOPU FRUIT! But no notes please)**

**The next story should come up next next week, 'cause I'm hosting my China exchange partner Meng Xing this weekend, and I would be quite busy over the two weeks. THREE TESTS AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMME AND PHOTOGRAPHY CLOSING CEREMONY! And let's all hope that I can go onto the Singapore Flyer and tell my friend that the place her ex-boyfriend wanted to bring her to for her birthday was unromantic. I prefer the view of Singapore on the ground at eye level? The next story will include the one thing I'll eat WITHOUT ANYONE (xXlil-eveXx! HURRY UP AND BUY SO I'LL EAT!) chewing on the other end. **

* * *

It's been a while, ever since I saw you.

When we first met; yes, that was when we were 7, and we were just fooling around, like what most 7-year-olds did.

You were a young girl who always told everyone you were so pretty you would have 10 boyfriends. Well, having 10 boyfriends was pretty much impossible, but the first part WAS true, come to think of it.

Rosy cheeks, a smile that would never fade (though I'm not too sure how you managed to put up a grin for so long), shining sapphire eyes. Oh, yes and a nice voice too.

I could still clearly remember when you volunteered to sing for the class "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". It was so marvelous, your friends cried upon hearing it because the way you sang it was so beautiful. I thought I felt something in my eye too, but being a boy, I believed in utter toughness.

I was sticking so much to my beliefs of tough guys I told you off one day during recess that your singing was horrible and no one would marry you next time.

You were so mad you slapped me hard on my cheeks and you tackled me to the ground. It was painful.

The teacher had to pull me away from you. By that time, we were both crying.

I never cried ever again after that incident. I knew I had to be brave. And tough. You know, boy stuff. But did you know something, May? About it?

I hated you so much. But you didn't realize it.

...Or did you?

* * *

Just a few years back, when we were 11, I could vividly recall standing next to each other, awaiting our doom in the Principal's office. Apparently we helped each other set off the fire alarm to avoid the 'nasty bob head teacher' from teaching us.

We looked and stared hard at each other, before laughing at how we managed to pull it off.

You were the security guard, looking out for any teachers, while "practicing to sing" in front of the music room, so no one would disturb. Well, I guess you attracted many people's attention, for your voice was so sweet, like an angel. But at least despite the fact that people stopped to listen to you singing "Can't Help falling in love with you" no one noticed me reaching out to break the glass.

And then when we heard the alarm, you chased everyone away so that we could share a moment of victory. We were laughing, and in our triumph you hugged me. It was quite nice, and I felt all my blood rush up to my cheeks.

Ah, before I could return the hug, we heard footsteps and I reluctantly broke the hug. I guess it was because it took me a long time to pull away, that caused us to be caught by the nasty bob head teacher.

You giggled and I returned it with a laugh. "We should do that again someday, right, Ash?"

"Perhaps. But you should sing another song."

And we both laughed. At that same moment, the Principal came out, and he voiced his shock over the fact that we were laughing even after getting caught. After that was the long, tiring lecture of why we should not sound the fire alarm for nothing.

You managed to cook up a story about smelling something like smoke in the toilet, and to move people away from the stench you started singing, and when I sounded the alarm you chased them all away, and we stayed there until we saw that everyone evacuated the floor.

Turns out, the toilet nearby had a cigarette. You should have seen your face when you realized there actually WAS a smell, from the cigarette. I was so stunned when you told me that (I couldn't enter the girls' toilet to see it for myself), and when we were let off easily, we both laughed hard.

Did you know something about that, May? The entire time while we were trying to pull this off?

I liked you as a friend so much. But you didn't realize it.

...Or did you?

* * *

And now, we're 14, with you being an international singer, after winning the Idol contest.

I was there, watching the finals, when you beat some guy who was 30 years your senior. The judges were simply stunned. I was next to one of them and I saw a teardrop streak down her cheek.

She couldn't say anything after you sang "Say OK" by Vanessa Anna Hudgens. If people said that Vanessa sang it wonderfully, you sang it like you were the singing goddess. THAT could put every known singer to shame. All she could say was "L-loved it…" before sobbing.

The male judges were also speechless. And when the last and final judge, the coldest one of the four grinned and said that it was the best thing he had ever heard, everyone cheered for you. I felt so happy for you.

And you eventually won. I messaged all my friends to tell them to vote for you, and I personally voted 20 times. I wished I could vote more, but I remembered that my mum told me to send only 10 times.

Now, here you are, clinging on to my arm, a few weeks after your win, as we escape from a crowd of reporters and flashing cameras. I bravely fend off some of the more ferocious ones, before grabbing you by the hand, picking up your school bag and running off.

We reach a nice shopping centre, with you in your sunglasses so no one would notice you. And then I realize that I was still holding your hand, but since you didn't say anything, I decided to continue holding it.

We pass by a huge poster of you clad in some brand's clothing, and I marvel at how beautiful you look. You tell me that you've modeled for at least 10 brands already, and now your closet's full of clothes. And we share a light-hearted laugh.

I got some hot tea with two packets of sugar, the usual, and you slowly sip it, as I survey the area. I noticed a few reporters, but they seem preoccupied with some fashion show nearby.

You only realized we were still holding hands when you wanted to hold your tea with two hands, and you slowly tried to wriggle out of my grasp, giggling as I playfully grab it tight. It was fun, and in the end your tea got cold, because we were playing the game for half an hour.

It felt like a whole lifetime to me.

We make our way back home, but I decide to escort you back, to ensure that you would not be mobbed by reporters.

You reach home safely, and you smile warmly at me.

"Thanks, Ash!" you chirp happily, and then you pecked me on my cheek for my efforts. And then you giggle happily as you go in.

I was still grinning like an idiot when I reached home, and for the first time in my life, I hugged my brother, who started freaking out about his older brother being really nice to him, thinking that someone brainwashed him.

I felt brainwashed by your love.

And did you know something, May? About the whole time when we were together?

I loved you so much. But you didn't realize it.

…Or did you?

* * *

**Well, I'm done! YAY!**

**I think I mentioned it just now, but I won't be updating for awhile. Yup. So that's why I posted another one shot within two days...or was it a week? Oh darn, my 14-year-old brain has multiplied itself and now it's 42 years old. WOW!**

**R&R!**


	6. Yes,I did

**OKKKAAAAYYY. So I said that I would be doing a story about…Pocky. But then, after much consideration (not to mention xXlil-eveXx's opinion…) I decided to write a little sequel to But you didn't realize it. It's the 5****th**** story I believe…but it's in May's POV and some other incidents will be mentioned so it can be considered a sequel and also a separate one-shot, so you decide.**

**Well, enough talk…and we shall begin the story. **

* * *

Ash Ketchum. Ah, the name that I have despised, and then grown to love.

When we were young, innocent 7-year-olds. Did you remember the time? When we first met? You poked me with your book to avoid what you called the "girl disease" and then you told me that we were in the same class.

To be honest, the whole poke-with-stick thing was kinda insulting to me, and to us girls. But I had my beliefs of a "guy disease", so I didn't really mind you poking me like that. Even though it was terrifyingly dirty.

Now, let's rewind the whole thing to the time when I had to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to the class. The girls cried. The boys sat there, gaping their mouths like they just saw an alien come out of a spaceship and eat a human live in front of them. Just that to them, it was the most beautiful thing they have ever encountered next to kissing a girl while holding hands at the same time.

You were one of those boys too, I could clearly remember, for your mouth was the widest out of all of the class. After the song, I started giggling. Did you remember, Ash? It was probably because you looked so funny to the 7-year-old me. But now, as a 14-year-old teenage superstar, it wasn't "just cute". More like adorably insanely cute. Put in all the other words that could describe cuteness. That was how I thought of you.

But, to my utter shock, you bad-mouthed it. I knew you liked it. But why did you say all that? My 7-year-old mind was whirling and swarming with thoughts of these few words and phrases: "Kill Ash Ketchum, push him off building, kick him very hard"...and the list goes on.

If I ever did one of those things, I would never ever be what I am today.

On with the recollection, now. I was so mad, I think the next thing was that I tackled you to the ground and started punhing you, pulling your leg (literally), biting your face (now that I've thought of it, perhaps you were the one who stole my first kiss; I bit your lip) and all those evil things.

There were three teachers; it took them an hour to realise that I was insanely mad. It took them another hour to call in the police, and they called in the fire department, and they had to hose me away from you. By that time, our parents had arrived at the scene.

I despised you, Ash, with all my heart. Yes, I did.

* * *

Did you remember, Ash? About the fire alarm incident?

I sang the song "Can't help falling in love with you". It was a good song, if only we were alone. Along all those years, our hatred turned to friendship.

But perhaps, for me, that is, perhaps my hatred decided to turn into some infatuation for you.

That song I sang? It was the first song that popped in my head when I saw you. And I sang it.

It was all for you.

And did you remember, Ash? While waiting for the Principal outside his office? Your hand, it brushed up lightly against mine, but you didn't seem to notice much.

I was a girl who would react to every small thing, and so when it brushed against mine, I was thinking that the next time you would do it, I would just grab it, and act annoyed. And perhaps something else romantic could develop.

Too bad you didn't.

When I showed the Principal where the stench was coming from, I wanted to drag you along. For security, perhaps.

Or was it something else?

Besides, I can't help it.

I knew I would eventually fall in love with you, Ash. Yes, I did.

* * *

Did you remember something else, Ash? During the finals of the Idol contest?

I was so nervous. My palms were so sweaty I thought I could drop the whole mike because my hands were so sweaty the mike would feel like soap. THAT would be embarassing.

But then, you came in. Backstage. Remember? You were smiling, with a small gift in your hand.

A...necklace?

I asked you that very question; I hoped you remembered, because it was really special to me.

"Well," you started, but you paused, looking at it, and then said, "It's in the letter L. For...luck."

I looked at it. "L." I repeated, examining the necklace once more. I thought that perhaps L could stand for Love too, but since you already said that it represented luck, I decided to follow along. "Okay, thanks, Ash!" I grinned.

"Well...May, good luck." you extended a hand. I took it graciously, and I shook it, but the shock was from you. Yes, you, Ash Ketchum.

You pulled me with my hand in yours, and then you held me, arms resting quite comfortably on my waist. And my hands, they were struggling to break free, so I could just hug you back tightly. But, hey, your grip was tight. I felt all that blood rush up to my face. I was blushing. You were hugging me.

But the most important thing was this: YOU, Ash Ketchum, were hugging me.

And I was so speechless. When we pulled away (if my arms were free, I'd hold you there, and if we wern't backstage, I'd ask you to hug more), you smoothed my cheek, and smiled.

Ah, that smile. Wonderful smile.

And then, you waved goodbye, wishing me luck as you make your exit. I stood there, with the L necklace, and then I smiled.

I was up. The stage, filled with blinding lights and screaming fans. Marriage proposals, fake love dedications, you know, typical fans. I clutched the necklace; I hoped you noticed that then, and I bravely walk up.

I saw you standing behind the judges. You gave me a thumbs-up. I grinned. I gave you a last long look, before I faced the massive audience, which quientened down upon seeing me raising up the mike to my mouth.

And I sang the song. "Say OK". All for you. I should stop dedicating songs to you...but hey, I can't help it.

I won. I was smiling, but I failed to locate you. I almost broke down, but I knew that you were looking at me, with your smile plastered on your face, just watching me.

I won for you; you could say that. Yes, I did.

* * *

Did you remember the time, Ash? When we escaped the reporters?

You were grabbing my hand. Even though we were being chased by a whole mob, I felt that it was just the two of us. Alone, just running. Well, if we weren't in such a situation, I would've told you to slow down so I could take in the fact that you, Ash Ketchum, were holding my HAND!

Now, you should know this, because it's quite interesting, really. The thoughts that were running through my head was this: "OMGOMGOMG ASHKETCHUMISHOLDINGMYHAND OMGOMGOMG!!" and other fangirl-like thoughts. At that time I kinda understood how a fangirl would be feeling if I were grabbing her for no reason.

And the mall, wow. You were still holding on to my hand, but not really tight, though. I struggled to get my sunglasses while holding your hand, but you didn't seem to notice the fact that I needed an extra helping hand (again, literally), but since I liked holding YOUR hand specifically, I decided to use one hand.

I bought tea, but, to my utter dismay, its a BIG HUGE mistake. I had to let go of your hand. And then my thoughts were like this: "OMGOMG HE'SHOLDINGMYHAND!!...oh wait, he let go 'cause I needed to drink my tea...OMGOMG I'MSOSTUPID OMGOMG!!" Yes, I was quite insane.

You were looking pretty down too, I'm not too sure whether it was because you couldn't eat anything. But in my imagination, it was because you wanted to hold my hand longer. Perhaps this was true, considering what happened.

Well, I would never know.

Then after that you suggested walking me home. I agreed. And during the walk back, to be frank, I was hoping for the reporters to chase us. So that you, my wonderful dashing charming hero AND prince, would be able to hold my hand, and run away from the reporters. Even though you don't really have a horse. Even though people may not find you as charming as I did now.

We reached the doorstep, but I decided to take the initiative to peck you on the cheek, before running into the house.

Wow, I was falling for you hard. Yes, I did.

* * *

Now, as I stand here next to you, in a wedding gown, with you standing next to me in a nice tuxedo, I would like to say this few words.

I love you, Ash Ketchum. Yes, I do.

* * *

**I'm...DONE! Oh, great!**

**R&R!**

**P.S you SHOULD'VE noticed that 'I do' is present tense and 'I did' is past. And from the titles "But you didn't realize it" and "Yes, I did" kinda fits.**


	7. The Last Dance

**I know this is weird, I mean, I updated twice in a weekend. And what's more, I'm entertaining two China guests (still unaware of their buddy's lil' occupation…because they hate English like I hate Chinese) with technology! GASP. They didn't know how to turn on the shower head, and one of 'em forgot to lock the toilet door…at least I reminded them.**

**I initially wanted to do the Pocky story (I wrote 243 words...) but I decided to give it up for awhile. Wait til I watch xXlil-eveXx DEMONSTRATE to me how to play the game...if it's even possible. Where's SL when she needs him?...Oh well.**

**For now, I wanna do a super cliched story. The Last Dance. I read at least 3 stories about this...WELL, let's hope my school's nice enough to hold a prom cum graduation night. And hope it's a real prom, 'cause when I graduated from my old school the prom was just about eating some catered stuff and running about looking for stuff...we had to find a coin made in 1994 and to do that we had to dance for the teacher. We never did find one...and anyway, the prom was lame. Go ask my friends who were there. I don't dance, but at least gimme some DECENT FOOD! Gosh.**

**Ugh, okay, this is what I THINK a REAL prom's about. Not just the food, the ROMANCEEEE. Wow.**

* * *

"C'mon, May, just get up! You can't eat ALL that food..." Dawn tried to pull a reluctant May up, but the navy-haired (...it IS navy...right?) girl could not make her friend even budge.

"Dawn," May got up herself. She was wearing a bright strapless red dress that stopped just above her knee, and she had a necklace that rested just above the dress (I'm not THAT good at describing clothes...I don't even HAVE a dress, just 3 skirts, unless you count my uniform as a skirt), "Give me a break. Look, I KNOW you really wanna take pictures of me with that Drew guy..."

"May, you can't just IGNORE HIM! He's like, the cutest guy in the world!" Dawn blushed. "And, it's a good match. You two are all-rounders, good in sports, studies, ha, even your LOOKS!"

"Dawn, there's a piece of news saying that prettier girls are more attracted to average-looking guys." (This is true. I read it on Yahoo) May stated, then turning to her food. A piece of chocolate cake gestured for her to eat it, when the strawberry dropped off to attract attention. "Cake..."

Dawn furrowed her eyebrows. She had a large camera in her hand, and she was wearing a turtle-necked dress (Um). Her hair was bundled up neatly. "Darn, now what in the world should I tell the Editor?"

"Tell her to congratulate you for successfully communicating with the school's smartest student." May murmured, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ugh, fine, whatever. Just dance with someone for the memories, okay? The last dance will be at 12." Dawn then strolled off somewhere, probably in search of famous couples around the school dancing.

May glanced up. It was 11. Still time to spare with her cake.

"Hey..." A soft, familiar voice snapped her out of cake-staring. May spun around, and she smiled.

"Hey. Enjoying yourself?" May asked him slowly, her eyes leaving the cake eagerly to indulge in the boy's eyes.

"No, not really. Dancing with 10 girls simultaneously is kinda hard." Ash pointed out, and then he laughed. "I'll take a break and then I'll go for the last dance."

May felt something in her throat. "Oh. You already asked someone?" she asked, her voice weakening. Now, perhaps her plans would all go to waste.

"Well...we made a pact when we were young. She may have forgotten, but I'll remind her." Ash nodded his head.

"A...pact?"

"Well, yeah, it was quite strange, really..."

_It was the annual prom night. But there was an unusual guest in the midst of all the graduating teenagers._

_Actually...make that TWO unusual guests._

_"Yeow, May, that's my HEAD you're stepping on!" Ash whined, his head throbbing, his feet hurting from wearing high-heels. The 8-year-old struggled to walk with someone atop of his head, guiding him softly through speaking._

_"Ash! Turn left! No, no wait! Turn RIGHT! RIGHT!!"_

_May cringed as the two collided into a random someone, causing May to fall out of the trench-coat the two were wearing to conceal themselves._

_"KYAA!! MAY IT'S DARK AND FREAKY!" Ash screamed, running about in circles, still in the trench-coat, until he bumped into someone's leg and promptly fell out of the trench-coat._

_May stumbled to her feet to help her little comrade in peril. "ASH!"_

_A 16-year-old girl, clad in a simple summer frock, was the only person who noticed the two standing in the middle of a crowd, their heights reaching only up to an average person's waist._

_She bent down to their level, and she helped the two to get away from the crowd. "What are you two doing here?" she asked softly. Then, realization hit her like a stone, and she quickly said, "I'm Misty."_

_Before Ash could reply, May sulked. "We wanna see what happens after a prom. I saw a girl run out of the school crying. So I asked my friend to help me!"_

_Misty raised her eyebrows. "A girl...? Wait, she was wearing jeans, right?"_

_"Yeah, she was wearing Levi's, alright. The jean quality was good." May noted. Misty simply stared at her._

_"You knew she was wearing THAT brand of jeans?"_

_"Like, of course, I mean, their jeans are usually like that." May put a finger to her lip, before saying, "She was wearing a shirt made in China, though. The colour was gonna run, I was SURE of it."_

_Ash covered her mouth before she could show off anymore of her brainy-ness. "Sorry, mam', my friend's a genius. She knows what was 200 multiplied by 729 without a calculator!"_

_Misty smiled. "That was my friend. Delia, that was her name. Her boyfriend didn't want the last dance with her."_

_Ash looked confused. "Last...dance?"_

_May rolled her eyes. "Ash, that's the most important thing of a girl's life, next to marriage and a first kiss." And she took in a deep breath, exaggerating her gesture by letting out a small gasp, much to Misty's amusement, and she started, "The last dance is the most romantic dance of all. They say that it's a must to dance with your one true love!"_

_Misty grinned. "Yeah, you know your stuff alright. Apparently Delia's boyfriend didn't want to share that special moment with her..."_

_May frowned. "That's so sad!"_

_Ash nodded his head in agreement. "I'll NEVA EVA do THAT to my GIRLFRIEND!" and then he punched his fist into the air, before meekly pointing out his last finger, "I promise!"_

_The orange-haired girl laughed as she stood up, and towered above the two young children. "Make sure you two don't cry when it's your turn!" She spun around when a male tapped her shoulder, and gestured her to the dance floor._

_Ash and May nodded their heads, before waving goodbye to the "nice orange head girl", whose name they had forgotten amidst the excitement about the last dance._

_The brunette turned her attention towards her friend. "Ash, if we don't have a date for this prom...promise we'll go together! As friends! Okay?"_

_"Deal!...But wait, does that mean we'll be a COUPLE?!" Ash yelped, bewildered at the prospect of super genius May being his girlfriend._

_"Ash, I said FRIENDS!"_

_"Ugh, okay...deal."_

_The deal was set._

Ash didn't bother to mention the girl's name to May. She should know.

"...Wow. Now it's already 12. You should go find that girl now..." May looked at him, biting her lips so that no one could see her lips tremble.

"Well...okay." Ash stood up, faced May, and then he grinned. "May I have this last dance?"

"WHAT?!"

Ash smacked his forehead. "May, YOU'RE the girl whom I promised!"

May paused. Everything was coming together. Wow. And she THOUGHT it was coincidential...it sounded quite familiar.

The raven-haired boy extended her a hand. "So, are you going to break the promise? Unless you have a DATE or something..."

"Ah, ASH!"

May leapt out of her seat to embrace him tightly. "I thought we both forgot about it before the prom, so I threw it at the back of my head. But now, I can't believe you remembered! Oh this is great-"

Ash returned the hug, grinning and blushing at the same time. His teenage life was complete. Being hugged by his true love...oh, wait, did he just think that? Ash quickly shrugged the thought off his head, and then he realised something.

"May! The dance, oh great, we missed the starting!" And Ash, who grabbed May's hand, quickly pulled her towards the middle of the school hall, revamped nicely to resemble a modern ballroom, complete with lights, couples, food, laughter, and love.

The atmosphere had turned into a quiet, serene, romantic night, with the soft music playing to accomodate the dancing couples. They held each other tightly, closing their eyes, almost bumping into other couples doing the same thing as all the other couples: loving each other.

Ash and May awkwardly joined the crowd after getting bumped into by several couples (May had calculated that they would bump into 7 couples at the speed they were walking and with the direction they were going in, and it turned out to be very true indeed) and then Ash grasped May's two hands, and they slowly followed the couples.

"That was fun..." May laughed, as the two walked out of the hall into the empty corridor facing the neighbourhood nearby the school. The lights from the different apartments lit up the night like bright pearls on velvet black.

"We followed the couples...now I decided to follow my heart." Ash looked at May, grinned, and he pulled her into a...

Kiss.

May's eyes widened in shock; her eyelids got tired after a while. She closed her eyes, taking in whatever that happened. His mouth were full of cake; she could tell from the taste of his lips.

They broke it off after a minute (they lost calories! GASP!), and the two looked at each other.

"I told you I wouldn't reject the last dance with my girlfriend."

* * *

**I'm...done! Oh wow. I realised this is my 20th chapter? 11 from Life is never happy all the time, 6 from this (excluding this 7th one-shot) and 2 from The stupid adventures from Charis (minus the Author's note; well, that was my most unsuccessful story ever). So that would make 19 and this is the 20th...wait, I think I sound like May from this one-shot...**

**Ah, won't be updating tomorrow I guess. I have a tight schedule.**

**But, hey, you'll never know...okay, that sounded weird too.**


	8. Raining Kiss

**Sniff…goodbye, my china bud. I'll send the picture over, for sure. Just remind me. BWAHAHAHAHA. Well, I'm a lil' insane, 'cause I drank more than 5 cups of COKE! Weeeheheheeee. But the story will be VERY VERY NICE...I hope.**

**May not be updating as frequently now, if I'm not wrong I have 5 more weeks away from my final year examinations. Darn it.**

* * *

_"C'mon! Hurry, it's not too far off!" Dawn yelled back at the two behind her. The navy-haired girl giggled, as an usually sad-looking Paul pulled Dawn away by her hand from a wall. She was definitely insane._

_Ash and May were keeping their distance. "D'ya think she'll kill us?"_

_"May, that's one of the weirdest questions I've ever heard."_

_"When girls drink 10 cups of coffee and 2 boxes of Pocky, the danger is the same as getting stuck in a plane with a pilot who isn't really a pilot."_

_"Don't freak me out, May. I'm still quite innocent..."_

_"Right. And who was the one who initiated the holding of hands first?"_

_Ash kept silent after that, while May stopped to indulge in a fantastic verbal win against Ash Ketchum by punching her fists into the air triumphantly._

_Dawn was in front, and she was still giggling, and she accidentally crashed into a wall. Paul sighed, and heaved his girlfriend up on his back. "At least I could lift 100 kilograms worth of metal..." he muttered, before Dawn started to gain back her sanity._

_She hopped off Paul's back and faced the duo who caught up, and she pulled out a box of Pocky. As she ripped off the tab, Ash and May slowly backed away, but Paul stopped them._

_Dawn started to announce the meaning of Pocky. "IT HELPS YOU IN KISSING!"_

_That was when Ash and May ran away for their first kisses._

Ash had never felt this miserable before.

He had just finished a nice lunch with May, and then he was planning to...okay, never mind that. The lunch was wonderful, and Ash was feeling quite happy. He even laughed when a soccer ball landed on his head from the field nearby.

He was enjoying the end of the day. And he was planning to enjoy the rest

Until now.

Ash continued to extend his arm out at intervals, only pulling it back to examine the raindrops and then sweeping them all off, much to May's chagrin.

May had been watching Ash for the past ten minutes, and apparently he still could not absorb the fact that it was raining on the last day of school...of the week. Friday.

The boy had other plans in his mind. He grimaced. Initially he had thought of getting May to her usual donut shop, and then he would stop her while walking behind a row of shops, and then he would...

Okay, maybe he thought too much about it. Upon thinking THAT, Ash blushed.

"You...look red." May noted, giggling at Ash's face.

"U-Uh, that's n-nothing, uh, yeah! Nothing at all!"

May simply stared incredulously. "Funny." she muttered, before deciding to watch a soccer match happening nearby the area. (Apparently my darling island home is hosting the Brazil team. Our team's SO dead against those famous superstar soccer players. I passed by the hotel they were staying at and then I started laughing for no reason.)

Ash sighed, and examined the raindrops on his arm.

"You've been doing that for ages now, Ash. It's raining, just believe the fact." May lamented, pulling Ash's hand back into shelter, and allowing the boy to sweep of the little raindrops on his arm.

"Can we just walk for a little while around the area and check for the weather?" Ash asked, looking up at the unusually dark gloomy sky.

May rolled her eyes. "Fine."

And the two set off, out of the school gate, but as usual they got a little annoyed at the guys playing soccer who stopped to cheer the "couple", and then they ignored them and started strolling about the area. May was oblivious to Ash's other plans, and she had no idea how much the sky would lighten up later...

* * *

Ash took out his umbrella, for the rain had decided to be evil and started pouring. He instinctively sheltered May, who was about to be drenched from head to toe.

"Um, Ash...?" May opened her mouth to say more, but something stopped her. The alley was just up ahead.

"Yeah?"

"Ah, nothing, nothing." May smiled, looking at Ash, his face a little wet from the rain. There was a faint blush on his face when their eyes met, and May giggled once more.

The alley was a quiet spot, perfect for any couple seeking a place away from the public eye, and get affectionate with each other...well, that was according to Ash.

May looked around, but there was no one in sight. A gust of wind caught May by surprise, and she snuggled up to Ash a little more, clutching his hand for some sense of security. Ash raised his eyebrows at the girl, but nevertheless he kept quiet; he didn't want to destroy an already badly romance-sapped atmosphere, with the rain.

"Ash, didn't you say that couples visit this place often?"

"Well, first of all , it's raining, and boyfriends wouldn't really want their girlfriends to kiss them and get stopped halfway so that the girlfriend can sneeze."

May laughed. "How considerate of the guys." And she looked away, away from the boy's calm brown eyes.

She was thinking back on the time when Dawn offered to speed up what most people would call "unusually tremendously close" friendship, or coupleship with a kiss. More specifically, a Pocky-assisted kiss.

Apparently Dawn's little game was that each person would take one end of the Pocky stick and eat it until they reach the middle and meet the other person's lips.

Ash thought that maybe he could just ask May to bite off her end of the stick and let him devour the rest, but May didn't even WANT to play.

"May," he broke into a huge grin, "do you think we should try the Pocky game?"

"Ash, you can taste chocolate AND my lips at the same time." May stated, rolling her eyes.

"But I LIKE chocolate, and I MAY like your lips."

"WHAT?!"

Ash laughed, and he just put his arm casually around May, who was somehow oblivious to it.

"Yeah, it should be nice..." he muttered inaudibly to the young brunette.

* * *

Ash started to brush May's hand, and then slowly, gradually, he held May's hand. He squeezed it tight and hard, causing May to snap out of her daydream. The daydream? Oh, about Ash and May finally kissing...wait, did she just think about that?

May blushed upon realising, and Ash chortled. "May, you look red."

"W-Wha- uh, no, no I'm not, uh , yeah know..." May stammered, before drooping her head down in embarrassment. "Aw, man."

Ash smiled, and he smoothed her hair in admiration, before ruffling it. "Your hair feels nice today." And he started twirling a few strands of hair with his finger, before letting it fall back with a spring, much to Ash's amusement.

"Well, I condition it daily!" May triumphantly announced, and she grinned.

"Oh, really?" Ash asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.

"Yup!"

Ash messed it up with his one free hand, the other one still sheltering the two with the umbrella. He stopped after a while, and May showed off the smoothness of her hair simply by running her fingers through her hair. It regained its former neatness after that.

"Ta-dah!" May flicked her hair, while Ash simply chuckled. "See, my hair's conditioned!"

Ash used his free hand to run through her hair slowly, causing May to gasp in shock. Ash felt her tense up, but soon she relaxed and allowed Ash to continue smoothing her hair. The boy smiled as he played with her hair, messing it up and then gently smoothing it back into its original shape.

"Your hair's like rubber. It can get into any shape and still return to its original shape." Ash remarked.

"Hahahhaa." May laughed. Then her eyes rested in Ash's. "Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." May whispered, and she tip-toed, hugging Ash tightly. Ash was taken aback. His one hand rested on her waist, and he briefly closed his eyes.

May quickly pulled away, but Ash held her close with his one free hand. He looked out. The rain had reduced slightly into a drizzle. He smiled, before letting the umbrella drop.

With both hands free, and with the rain pelting on their skin, Ash pulled May closer, hoarsely whispering, "I love you too." And he closed his eyes, and slowly he prssed his lips against hers, taking in the feeling of kissing May.

May's eyes widened, she realised her arms were still around his neck, and she decided to pull herself closer to Ash. Ash let out a "mrph", but nevertheless he did not break off their first kiss.

When they did break it off, they both caught their breath, and then they laughed. "Well, we won't really need Pocky anymore!" May commented, before laughing.

Ash grinned cheekily. "One more before we head back?"

May simply squealed.

* * *

**Wow. I'm done. YAY!**

**Will go on hiatus (...that means away right?) by August, and all the way til maybe September. And then I'll try posting once every two days before my trip to China, and if I get a laptop I'll type some stories and upload them when I get to the homestay.**

**459...hehe.**


	9. Cruise

**I deleted the previous story Cruise, and why? ****Well, the reason is because I'M INSPIRATION-FILLED AND I KINDA HATE THE RUSHED ENDING. And xXlil-eveXx wanted to star in the story, so I put her in too. And I'll assume she likes the additional couple kissing...READ ON!**

**The following things were added:**

**1. When Ash held both of his cousins' hands; I edited a bit and added more.**

**2. During the announcement, Charis wasn't cut off at "BROTH-". She was cut off at "BR-" so no one could make any...assumptions? Um, okay, never mind. And the swordfish fight was added. Ooh.**

**3. After the confession speech by Ash, Daryl doesn't comment that the game "I Do" isn't childish. 'Cause he's a kid in the story!**

**4. The entire ending after that was deleted, and replaced with a whole new sequence of events.**

**So I suggest you re-read the whole thing, I may have missed out some stuff in the list.**

**And one more thing.**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING SINGAPORE, THE LITTLE RED DOT I CAN'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO SEE ON A MAP!**

**No, no, really, I couldn't until I looked CLOSELY. Ah well, that's not the point. Oh yes, and good luck with the Olympics. GETTA GOLD.**

* * *

May stood next to Ash, smiling quietly as she observed the sunrise from their positions. Ash was smiling himself, at the sunrise, but two seconds after the sunrise appreciation he turned his attention to May.

The 14-year-old brunette was sighing dreamily at random intervals, and smiling goofily to herself. Ash was enjoying his May appreciation. The chestnut hair of hers were ruffled by the sea breeze, making a cute mess out of it. Her cheeks were ESPECIALLY rosy...or was he hallucinating red again?

Ash mentally slapped himself. He had been dreaming of it for ages, ever since he fell in love with her...wait, why was he thinking about that?

He mentally slapped himself again, with his conscience reprimanding the boy for daydreaming again. But his heart decided to rebel.

"I'll follow my heart..." he thought to himself. Ash took in a deep breath. "Just take it easy, just one second and it's all over..." He opened his mouth, but...

"KYAAAA!" a young girl squealed, bursting into the ship balcony, jolting Ash and May from their respective appreciation sessions. "Whaddya doing, HUH HUH HUH?!"

May was taken aback. "Ash...that's your cousin?"

Ash merely gaped in utter shock. "Charis, get back to the room!"

"NO!" the 6-year-old girl retorted, folding her arms. "Big brother has started snoring."

May giggled, while Ash groaned. "Charis," he slowly spoke, making sure the child could absorb the information properly, "Get. Back. To your ROOM!"

"I SAID NO!"

"GET BACK!"

"NO!"

"I SAID-"

"GET BACK! NO!"

Ash smacked his forehead, and quite madly he shoved her back into the room. And then he whipped around quickly, turning back to May, and he smiled. "Uh, May? I need to te-"

"WAAAHAHAHAHA!!" Charis rammed herself onto the door, almost hurling herself out from the ship balcony, while a 7-year-old boy ran out in his Manchester United pyjamas, rubbing his eyes wearily. But when he saw the scene of Charis upside down leaning against the balcony railing, he widened his eyes.

May smiled. "Another adorable cousin of yours, Ash..." And she gave the boy a small smile, who simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Charis was still grinning despite the massive impact she had received. Insanity had struck the little girl...as usual. "Hiya, Daryl."

"Why did you hurl yourself out?!"

"You were snoring and my ears hurt."

May practically rolled on the floor laughing, while an even annoyed Ash glared at the two. Daryl blushed in embarrassment. "I...snored?"

Ash took matters in his own hands. "OKAY! You two can discuss about snoring in your room! Now, move along, kiddos!" And he pushed them both into the room.

Daryl was yawning, and Charis was sending threats. "YOU BIG MEANIE PUT ME DOWN OR I'LL CALL EVELYN AND HER BRO AND WE'LL ELIMINATE YOU AND WE'LL DISRUPT YOUR TIME WITH YOUR GURLFWEN! BWWAHAHA-" and before Charis could finish cackling the door was slammed shut and the two heard what sounded like a debate about guys snoring and girls getting annoyed.

May chuckled nervously as Ash gave her an unusually huge relieved grin. "Well...it's almost morning now...we should get some breakfast..." she pointed out, before heading back to her room.

Ash grimaced, but he decided to keep natural. "Right, okay. I'll, uh, yeah, see you later." Well...not THAT natural.

And when May left, he let out a loud, annoyed groan. Perhaps giving May a ticket to a 2-day ship cruise with his cousins wasn't a good thing...

Ha, and how wrong he was.

* * *

May arrived at the dining area, where a nice buffet was spread out for the people on board. She looked about, but there was no sign of Ash, or his cousins, even. There were a few couples, either enjoying some peaceful quality breakfast with each other, or just ignoring breakfast and smooching right there on the spot. A few families were present, and May managed to smile when she saw the young children look away in disgust, while their parents look on, remembering their own previous coupleship days before they got married. And she sighed.

"Ah, I took the ticket for a reason...but I didn't expect to be this shy..." she mused to herself, shaking her head. May watched as a few seagulls flew away, from the rounded window, and then she decided to take a seat nearby. She slumped in her seat, which was facing the empty seat in front of her. The place had a nice view of the glistening sea.

May patted her stomach, before she finally confirmed that no, she wasn't hungry, and for a brief moment she imagined that certain someone in front of her...

_"Ash..." she whispered, as the two slowly brought their faces closer, closer..."I love you..."_

_Ash simply smiled, and he slowly brought his face so close to hers..._

May was smiling dreamily at that moment, but she hastily snapped herself out of her trance, before letting out a sigh. That may never happen.

She heard the door to the dining area open, and to her amazement it was Ash, dressed in his normal attire. The thing that amazed May was the fact that Ash was holding hands with both Charis and Daryl, the former smiling as she saw May, and the latter sulking, apparently because he'd rather feel like an adult and take care of his own sister and not let someone take care of the two of them.

Ash released the siblings, and he bent down, "Charis, Daryl, you two stay together, and wait for your mum, and don't wander off anywhere. STAY HERE."

"We'll try not too, ASHY!" Charis chirped merrily, "right, Daryl?"

"Yeah, fine..."

Ash grinned. "Good. Stay. Stay...good!"

And after he said that, Ash's eyes had automatically and instinctively started looking frantically for May, and when he did find her, he walked straight towards the area, hoping to get that one seat left.

Ignoring the two in front of him, he briskly jogged to May...

...but he stopped ignoring them when he realised they were headed the same way.

When Ash pulled out the seat to sit down, Daryl immediately plopped onto the seat, and he quickly shifted to accommodate his sister, who lunged into the seat, looked up at Ash and giggled. "Thanks, Ashy!" she squealed, before she looked at May with her big jet black eyes and asked sweetly, "You don't mind, rwight?"

May bit her lip. Well, this wasn't expected. "No, I mean, not really..."

Daryl glared at her. "Not REALLY? So, you mind a little bit?"

"Uh, no, I just wanna ask; Ash, you don't mind right?" May looked at Ash, who was getting extremely annoyed. Why, if May weren't present, he'd throw them both into the sea. They should go convince a shark to bring them back or something.

"I don't." the raven-haired boy replied, before he quickly took a seat with some teenage boys nearby.

May wanted to bash her head against the wall.

* * *

"So, what do you guys want for breakfast?" May queried, opening the menu book, and upon hearing the growl of her stomach she sweatdropped.

Before Charis could grab the menu book Daryl took it away from her, and he examined the whole menu, before he called the waiter, flailing his arm wildly.

"Geez, I may be short, but I'll be taller than you soon 'cause I play badminton alot." Daryl muttered,looking up at the stunned waiter, while Charis started to stare outside at the sea with May. "Get two cups of tea and MAKE sure you don't put sugar in them, and also get me some bread and butter."

Charis sulked. "I WANT COKE ZERO!"

"There's flavouring in it. Unhealthy."

"GAHHHHHH!! WHY DO YA DO THIS?!"

"Because I care for you because you're my sister."

Charis kept quiet for the rest of the whole meal, much to her brother's amusement.

The waiter made a smart decision to move away to take May's orders. She looked at Ash, who was looking in disgust at the teenage boys, who mixed a concoction of portions of all their meals together in a glass cup. Really sick. But still, his expression was quite cute.

Ash noticed May staring and he quickly plastered a smile, before he realised that Charis was glaring at him. Ash quickly looked away after that.

The waiter waved a hand in front of May. "Um, miss?"

May snapped out from her Ash appreciation. "Oh yes, sorry." She took one last longing look at Ash, before she said, "Ah, I'll take..."

* * *

Ash was able to lure the two children away from his room by convincing them that there was a room filled with candy somewhere around the ship. Daryl wasn't someone who was fooled easily, but his sister was the complete opposite. Gullible and innocent.

"SWEETS!"

And after she announced the start of the expedition, she ran off, much to Daryl's chagrin, and after he kicked Ash violently he ran off in pursuit of his little sister.

Ash snickered amidst the pain the young soccer talent had inflicted upon his leg. He rubbed his hands in glee. "Ah, peace, finally." And he strolled off to find May.

* * *

Daryl frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched Charis' every movement. Apparently she did alot of things. Charis could not think of a more practical way to get to the basement of the ship, so she almost hurled herself out to climb into the basement. She also tried to ram into a wall when she thought she saw a hinge there.

Well, it did turn out to be a door, but the thing inside was NOT sweets...at all. It turned out to be something that haunted them both.

Daryl cringed as he remembered, but he quickly focused on his darling sister, who found the Captain's cabin. "AHA! I FOUND IT..."

Before the boy could stop his sister, she hurtled herself into the room, and into much more trouble than expected...

* * *

Ash sat down, on his bed, and he gestured for May to take a seat next to him. He got a little playful, brushing her hand at intervals while they chatted endlessly. And when they had nothing to talk about, Ash looked into May' bright sapphire eyes, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

"I wonder how does it feel to hold your hand..." he whispered audibly to May, as he placed his hand on hers, and he decided to leave it there. The brunette blushed on contact, and all she could give Ash was a small smile.

"Have you watched Cinderella 3?" he asked, before realising what he just asked, and he simply grinned in embarrassment. "I guess n-"

"Yeah..."

"And there was this part..."

"When the King gave Anastasia the shell..."

"And told her that one touch told him that they were meant to be..."

May giggled. "We completed each other's sentences."

Ash almost fell off the bed at May, who was oblivious of the relationship between the extract of Cinderella 3 and Ash touching her hand.

"May, can I tell you something?"

May flinched upon hearing that. Summon up your courage, girl...

"I need to tell you something, too." May almost mouthed, but her raspy voice could be heard.

Ash's mind had been penetrated by pessimistic thoughts. What if she's gonna tell me, as her best guy friend that she likes someone? What if-?

His heart surged on. "I'll just tell you now. May, I-"

He was cut off rudely by an announcement.

"Urf! Attention all passengers on board. First of all, let me extend a warm welcome to you a- OW! Hey, you twerp, stop that! Sorry, I wanted to sa- OW! No, stop fighting! UGH! Okay, MAY I KNOW WHOSE PARENTS ARE THESE-"

The Captain himself was cut off rudely by Charis. "KYAA! HIYA I'M CHARIS AND I LOVE MY BR-"

And she was cut off rudely by Daryl, who had reluctantly yanked his sister away. "Um, hello? This is Daryl, we're having fun, no need for any-"

The Captain shoved Charis away, causing her to scream violently. The Captain paid no attention, and he pulled the seven-year-old boy away before they could cause any more trouble.

"HEY!"

"Little boy, this ain't your ship."

Before Daryl could calmly reply (the captain saw a glint in his eyes but he didn't budge), Charis got VERY mad.

"HOW DARE YOU SHOVE MEEEEEE-"

"Wh-What?" The Captain backed off.

"CHARIS! PUT THAT SWORDFISH DOWN!" Daryl yelled, his temper obviously rising. He struggled and broke free from the Captain.

"NO!"

"PUT IT-"

"DOWN! NO!"

"ARGH!!" And Daryl himself decided to arm himself with another swordfish on display.

The craziest thing about everything happening was that every passenger on board could hear it.

The Captain quickly got back to his feet, and he scrambled to switch off the speaker, as the two made war cries and started totackle each other.

And soon, the ship returned to its silent self, with only the seagulls squawking away at the sudden outburst of noise at their rest spot.

Ash smacked his forehead, and May didn't need to be a mind reader to know what was going to happen next. "Ash, I'll be at the balcony if you need me...but it's in my room..."

The raven-haired boy stammered, "But- ah, wa-, argh, Ma-"

Too late. The door had slammed itself shut, leaving Ash with two choices. Wallow in his sorrow, or kill his cousins.

* * *

Ash dragged the two into his room, and he let the two sit on his bed, despite the fact that their shoes were dirty and all over his bed. Never mind that.

Charis was still grinning, her hair messed up from the fight, but Daryl was keeping quiet, and he immediately jerked Charis' face to see a very angered Ash. Charis, too, was smart enough to realise Ash was extremely mad, and she fell silent.

Daryl gulped, tugging at the hem of his collar in awkwardness, and he looked straight at Ash, ready to say a brave apology, but upon meeting his piercing dark eyes he almost backed away and cowered in fright, whimpering under his breath.

**(A/N: This song is from Enchanted. "So close" by Jon McLaughlin. Aw, I have no idea why I like this song so much.)**

_You're in my arms  
And all the world is gone __  
The music playing on for only two  
So close together  
And when I'm with you  
So close to feeling alive  
_

"Guys, do you know how much this cruise means to me?" Ash asked, his voice trying not to raise itself. He plopped down, sighing. "It means too much to me."

May was outside, and she was about to knock on the door when she heard Ash's grave voice. She stood there, eavesdropping.

_A life goes by  
Romantic dreams must die  
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew  
So close was waiting, waiting here with you  
And now forever I know  
All that I want is to hold you  
So close _

"May, she's been my best friend ever since...I'm not too sure when, but we've been through alot. And then, all these years, I developed something for her. Whenever she fell down, I just wanted to pick her up and hug her, and kiss her, and just hold her there, and not just until her wound heals, I want to hold her forever in my arms. I-" Ash lowered his voice upon reaching the last word, before he raised his voice, "-love her alot."

May gasped in shock, covering her mouth. What?

_So close to reaching that famous happy end  
Almost believing this one's not pretend  
Now you're beside me and look how far we've come  
So far we are so close _

"Yeah, I know this is kind of weird, I even tried to ignore her for some time to block out those dreams of the two of us. But they were too happy to forget. In fact, I fell harder for her, and after two days I couldn't bear to ignore her anymore."

"And when I heard that she liked someone, did you know how much I wanted to ask her whether everything was true or not. But then, I was too afraid I would lose myself if I heard the truth. I was too afraid that I'd break my own heart. I ignored her again, and this time it was unbearable. I watched her everyday, when she smiles at her friends, laughs at their jokes, and sometimes our eyes would meet too, but I would look away..."

"I realised I couldn't get used to it. And so, I decided that I'll stop ignoring her, stop avoiding my problems. After 5 months of bliss by her side again, as her best friend, I got tickets to this cruise. I invited you two, and your family, and then I left one for May. I needed to tell her."

_How could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?  
We're so close  
To reaching that famous happy end  
And almost believing this one's not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming though we know we are  
So close  
So close  
And still so far_

"Now, here I am, talking to the two who keep on stopping me from ever telling May how much I love her." Ash almost yelled.

May backed away from the door, and when she was far enough she ran back into her room.

"I was so close..." Ash trailed off, and that was when Charis jumped out of his bed. She gestured for her brother to follow, and they both walked out of the room, leaving Ash to himself for some reflections.

"We did something RWEALLY bad." Charis realised, and Daryl nodded his head.

Charis thought for a moment, thinking hard of a good idea. "Play 'I Do' with them?"

Daryl shook his head. "Ew, I hate that. Besides Roxas and Olette played th-"

Charis cut him off. "You said too much!"

"Ugh."

And the siblings fell into slience again, and Daryl thought of the most marvellous love idea his mind could ever think of. "I got it."

Charis widened her eyes, and she smiled as she heard it.

"GOOD."

* * *

"Uh, Charis, what exactly are you doing?" May yelped. Getting yanked by a 6-year-old girl was freaky.

"WELL!" Charis announced, puffing up her chest whilst walking, "We wanna give Ashy-boy THE BEST DAY OF HIS LIFE!"

"...And when exactly did I become a part of this?"

"Ever since just now when-" Charis covered her mouth and shook her head vigorously. "NOTHING!"

May rolled her eyes. "What?"

"I SAID GETTA DRESS!"

And the young girl gave May a credit card, adding innocently, "Big brother said it's magic! And he told me to tell Dad that I used it because I wanted to 'squander away our money'! I wonder what THAT means..."

May made a mental note to kill Daryl for being so mean to his innocent sister. She didn't bother to tell Charis though, and the brunette simply took the credit card and shuffled to the shops.

* * *

"You want me to do WHAT?" Ash yelped incredulously. He stared wide-eyed at the young boy, his arms crossed.

"Get a tuxedo. Geez, aren't you smart enough?" Daryl looked up at a towering Ash and reminded himself to start playing basketball; they could help him grow even faster.

When Ash didn't reply, the bright-eyed boy added, kicking and balancing a football with his foot, "I won't go with you. Ugh, do you really hate us that much?"

After he said that, Daryl fished out a credit card from his pocket and giggled nonsensically. "It's magic; did ya know that?" he whispered, grinning cheekily. Ash simply rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, I'll just take that and be on my way..."

Daryl smiled. He looked at his watch, and his smile disappeared. Frantically, he bolted out of the room.

* * *

Charis was running at her top speed, skidding across the corridor. Her destination? Uh, well...

The young girl groaned, her bangs flying everywhere, and her hair flailing in all directions as she ran. How could she forget that important place?

She was huffing and puffing, and she decided to slouch down on the floor when she saw Ash. "Hiya Ashy." she greeted cheerfully, before she covered her mouth and quickly ran off, almost tripping.

"What was that about?" Ash asked himself, before he shook his head. "Girls."

And he shuffled off to find his tuxedo.

* * *

Charis had finally found Daryl, after much frustration, and the two huddled near a staircase to think about their next move. Part A of the plan was to get Ash and May away, but they didn't plan for a Part B.

They sighed dejectedly in unison, and when they realised that they smiled at each other. The unusually peaceful time was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"KYAAA!" Evelyn cried, jumping up and down the bed, til she fell off it and rolled out of the room, when she came face to face with her two cousins.

Charis stared at Evelyn, giggling insanely, when Shan Leong burst out of the room. "DON'T TOUCH MY SI- oh, hi Charis and Daryl!" And Shan Leong realised he was in his self-defence position, and he quickly got out of it.

Six-year-old Evelyn smiled, sweeping up her fringe again, while her 7-year-old brother Shan Leong decided to launch a surprise attack and hug Evelyn from behind **(expect to see more of these sibling shippy scenes...wait, do you even call it that?)**

Daryl and Charis exchanged their looks and then they looked at their two cousins, smiling even wider. Charis managed to utter one sentence.

"Welcome to Part B, amigoes."

* * *

Ash was shaking his head as the salesgirl kept on giggling at Ash as she tried her very best to show him the tuxedoes. "Ah, this is SO not you, person with the...deep soft eyes..." the salesgirl, Cheryl (as seen from her nametag) **(A/N: someone remind not to tell Cheryl on MSN that I made her a character and made her have a crush on Ash instead of some Leong Wai guy, thanks.)** whispered dreamily, staring at him.

Ash coughed. "Uh, yes, I think I'm fine with everything else..." The boy had enough intelligence quotient **(...that's IQ, right...?)** to walk away, and he came face to face with the worst thing that could ever happen on the shopping trip.

"Aw, man, how many tuxedoes can I choose from?" he picked out two from the rack and examined them closely. Nope, no difference.

His eye caught sight of May, who was picking out a dress herself. And behind the rack of suits his eyes trailed her until she picked out a velvet dress and strolled into the changing room.

Ash sighed, and continued looking for a suit.

* * *

"Evelyn?"

"Oooo, yes, I do! I do! I WILL MARRY SH- oh, yes, Daryl?"

"Why...in the world...did you USE MY SISTER'S BRUISED KNEE TO DECORATE THE TABLE CLOTH?!"

Evelyn sniffed back tears, and Shan Leong's face turned a scarlet red. No, not blushing, in a 7-year-old's case it means exploding.

"HOW DARE YA SPEAK TO MUH SISTA LIKE THAT!"

Daryl yelled even louder. "HOW DARE YA SISTA USE MY SISTA!"

Evelyn and Charis, who had resorted to playing 'I do' with some 'imaginary' friends looked at their brothers and looked at the tablecloth, stained with blood which was supposedly in a floral pattern. They couldn't get paint, for that would mean newspapers and icky hands, and then Daryl decided to leave it blank, partially because Charis fell while trying to get what LOOKED like paint at the supermarket.

Charis noticed that her brother was going to lunge at Shan Leong and bite off his head soon, and she quickly held Daryl back before he could do anything insane.

The boy calmed down upon contact, and he tried to look at the brighter side of things. "At least it looks...bloody."

Everyone, except Daryl smacked their foreheads.

"THIS is gonna be stupid." Evelyn remarked, one of the first times she said something sensible yet true.

* * *

May emerged out of the changing room in frustration, and from the rack Ash saw that May had changed into a velvet gown, one that suited her perfectly. There were little studs around the hem of her dress, and they shone as she stormed to the cashier.

Ash thought she looked like a princess.

"Excuse me, but why is there no full-length mirror in the changing rooms?" May asked, trying to keep her voice as sweet and polite as possible.

The cashier was quite inexperienced, obvious from his answer, "I don't know."

The brunette frowned in disgust, before she started ranting about why there SHOULD be full-length mirrors in changing rooms. Ash realised that people were staring at her, and he quickly scampered behind May and meekly tapped her shoulder.

"-and you should always let your customer see- oh, hi Ash." she blushed as she saw him and she stopped her ranting immediately. Ash saw the cashierboy mouth a 'thank you' from behind, before running off to busy himself.

"M-May, you look..." Ash stuttered, gulping. Why did his mind fail to give him words now when he needed his vocabulary the most?

"Weird? Yeah, I know, I have a horrifyi-"

"No, no, I mean, you look...very pretty." And Ash mentally slapped himself, for the third time in the cruise, at his wonderfully stupid use of words.

May blushed a deep scarlet red, and to teenagers it would be a blush. "A-Ah, really?"

"Yeah, of course! You looked like a princess when I saw you walk o-"

"You were nearby watching?"

Ash mentally hit himself for a change. "N-No, it's not that I'm, what, STALKING you or anything..."

"So...you watched me from somewhere when you first saw me?"

Ash shook his head. "No, no, no, I uh, you know, heh..." He dropped his head in silence. "Aw."

May giggled, but she halted when she realised something. "Ash, I forgot my clothes in the changing room!" Before Ash could say anything, she lifted up her dress slightly to allow for more movement, and at the same time revealing her sneakers, running off to the changing rooms.

"I love you..." Ash whispered as May's figure disappeared from view. This time, he mentally threw himself off a building for blowing a perfect opportunity to confess to May his feelings for her, without any cousin to interrupt.

...Speaking of cousins, where had they gone?

Ash raised his eyebrows at that question, but shrugged it off. Daryl would have no problem taking care of Charis, with that kick of his.

But the question continued to bug him until May came out. And when May came out, that question simply disappeared. Just like that.

May smiled, straightening her clothes. "You were saying something, Ash?" she asked, stretching her arms.

"Um, May, I need to tell you something. I-"

The manager turned up behind Ash, scaring the boy with a booming 'HEY!'.

"Young lady, are you gonna buy that dress or NOT?"

Ash grimaced, but he kept a straight face. May gave the manager a nervous smile, and she tried to avoid the thin shirt he was wearing that barely covered him. "Uh, yeah, here."

She handed the manager the credit card, and Ash raised his eyebrows. "May, since when did you get a credit card?"

"Ah, no, I didn't get this. Charis gave it to me to buy a dress."

Ash looked at her in confusion. "And Daryl gave me a credit card too. For a tuxedo."

"Oh, really? Wow, that's interesting, but madam, can you PLEASE COME OVER HERE?!" The manager yelled, and May spun around, uttered a 'yes, sir', before hurriedly marching to the counter.

* * *

Evelyn and Shan Leong were busy deciphering the guidebook on the lighter the 'nice funny lady' had given them, while Charis and Daryl went...shopping for something.

"What's this funneh curly thing?" she asked, flipping the guidebook, turning it at 90 degrees, then 180 degress, then a whole turn.

Shan Leong looked at the first word, which was deemed the 'curly thing' and he frowned. "I dunno."

"LET'S GO ASK SOMEBODY!" Evelyn shrieked.

"YEAH GREAT IDEA!" Shan Leong shrieked back.

And the duo held hands for safety, and skipped merrily to find that certain somebody, shutting the door tight shut. Oh, yes, and did I mention that they forgot to take the keys to the room with them?

* * *

"Ah...this?"

"No, no, that flower's a little..."

"Dry."

"Ah, yes, that's the word."

Charis tapped her head to show off her intelligence, and continued looking out for the perfect bouquet. Daryl sighed, and kept his wallet into his pocket. This was going to take awhile.

A young lady went up to them, and bent down to face the little children shopping in the quaint florist's. "How may I help you?" she asked, and looking at Charis, then facing Daryl, she shot another question at them, "Is that for the girl?"

Daryl frowned. "No, she'll eat them."

"WHAT?!"

"You ate my orchid before..." Daryl retorted, and winced at the sight of the place his orchid was eaten up and spat out, and the grave of the deceased orchid.

Charis was about to snap back, but she ignored him and requested the florist for some flowers for a guy to romance a girl.

"Ooh, roses would do marvellously well. Oh, yes, and chocolates, too! Ah, chocolates, did I tell you about my boyfriend when he gave me a whole teddy bear? It was so hu-"

Charis and Daryl were smart enough to escape the crazy florist.

"Man, one mad florist, two people that ne-"

Daryl was cut off when Charis yanked him away by the hand, behind the shop. The young girl pointed to the couple-to-be nearby, and the young duo strained their ears to listen.

* * *

"Ash, we should really sit down for awhile. It's been a while ever since we talked without any interruptions." May slumped into the bench, and she gestured for Ash to sit down.

When he did, May decided to tell first. "Ash, I need to te-"

"HIYA!" A young girl, holding on to a boy's hand ran up to them, and sat in between them, despite the fact that there wasn't much space between the two.

Ash gawked. "Evelyn? Shan Leong? WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?!"

May's face turned pale. "Ash, two more...?"

"WE WANNA ASK YOU THISH QUE- HEY! Stop! HELPPPP!!" Evelyn was dragged off by Charis and Daryl, who emerged from their hiding spot to tackle her down. Evelyn fell face up, and Shan Leong assumed that Evelyn would be saved if he intercepted, so he quickly got in between Charis and Evelyn, accidentally pushing his lips onto Evelyn's forehead.

Evelyn screamed, and Charis easily avoided bumping into Shan Leong, because Daryl had quickly pulled her away from the heap. The young girl fell back, her head landing on Daryl's tummy.

"EW!! COOTIES!" Evelyn screamed.

Little did she know, 8 years from then she would realise the beauty of kisses...but with who? That is the question...oh, wait, I said too much. Woops.

Charis scrambled up to her feet and did what she had intended to do. She pulled Evelyn away from the scene, while Daryl did the same to Shan Leong.

Ash and May...well, they were shocked at the turn of events.

"Ash, I just wanna say that I-" May was cut off when she heard a groan. And some bashing on the door.

"ASH! THE STEWPID DOOR CAN'T OPEN! GIMME THE KEYS!" Charis yelled, but quickly adding, "But DON'T YOU DARE GO IN!"

"Charis, that's MY room, and I get to go in. Besides," he said, inserting the key into the keyhole, ignoring pleas from Charis and Daryl, "it's not like you're doing ANYTHING in my-"

"-room..." Ash trailed off when he saw a table for two, and an empty vase, and a floral tablecloth. Charis and Daryl grimaced. The latter sighed and walked in front of Ash and May, who was next to Ash.

"Look," he hissed, "this was all a set-up so that me and my sis could be forgiven for interrupting you every single time. We made you two get out to buy a dress and tux, so that you two could dress in formal attire, and enjoy a candlelight dinner with flowers and with no interrputions at all."

Charis continued the story after him, "We thought Evelyn and Shan Leong could help, but they let the dog out of the bag."

"Charis, it's 'let the CAT out of the bag', not dog."

"WHATEVER! So, anyway, it's ruined and now we don't get any stupid thing for our stupid efforts." Charis drew in a deep breath, and she sulked.

Ash bent down to Charis, and Daryl, who was frowning, and he whispered, "Guys, that's really nice of you." And he gave the two a hug, before standing up to face May.

"May I just wanna say that I-" he gulped. Just a few seconds..."Love you."

He pulled May into an embrace, and May whispered back her reply, "I love you too."

Ash let May go, and they slowly kissed, with May holding onto Ash by his neck, and Ash holding onto May by her waist. Evelyn and Shan Leong had run away from the 'cootie scene', while Charis and Daryl smiled.

For the first time, Ash actually loved his cousins.

* * *

**YEAH! DONE! And it's my...longest story so far.**


	10. The future in the past?

**Lalala! Nothing much to say, though I suddenly realised that I haven't been updating my other AshMay story for a while...and this one had more words than my older one. GASP.**

**I wrote this author's note in school, since I'm done with everything. Ugh, getting boring. Will write some at home, too, so I may write about something suddenly.**

**And if you read the previous story Cruise, just to let you know the four OCs who will appear here also appear there, so...read on.**

* * *

King Ash stroked his chin as he watched the two 14-year-olds, the not-so annoying son of the very annoying King and Queen (even their names were annoying, mused Ash) trying quite hard to teach his very own daughter the basics of horseback riding.

The now 40-year-old king smiled as Charis almost fell off the horse, and he turned to Queen May, chortling at the two as they try, again, to learn.

Prince Daryl frowned as Princess Charis fumbled with the reins, and somehow the two looked at Charis' parents, with silly grins plastered on their faces. Charis raised her eyebrows. "What's with them?"

Daryl shrugged. "They're not my parents, you know." He shook his head, adjusting a Sir Aaron-like hat (how else can I describe it?), and he continued his riding lessons with Charis.

May smiled at the two. "How adorable."

Ash faced his queen, and he coughed. "Familiar, eh?"

The brunette grinned as she tried to gently smooth down Ash's jet black hair, unsuccessfully. She shook her head. In the very least Charis didn't get her father's messy hair, only the colour. She blinked as Charis fell down, again, as a bemused Daryl helped her get up to her feet.

"Ah, yes, I remembered..."

* * *

_A 14-year-old Ash sat up on his horse, and offered his hand to May, in her dress. "C'mon, May, hop on!" he gestured for her to take his hand._

_Princess May, however, was blushing painfully. "B-But Ash..."_

_Ash raised his eyebrows at the young stunningly beautiful princess before him getting all flustered. "Just grab my hand! No worries, c'mon!" He patted May's seat on his horse, right in front of him._

_May sighed. This was getting nowhere, and at this rate they would be late for the ball. She took Ash's hand, the latter whom which much ease heaved May up on the horse. The brunette gasped, and she was so shocked she leaned on Ash's chest so much, that they both fell off the horse, still grunting at intervals._

_Ash instinctively buried May's head into his own chest as they both fell, but May didn't struggle, even though she was lying on top of him._

_"Yeoww..." Ash groaned, rubbing his sore head upon impact. May broke free from Ash's grasp, and she brought her face closer to Ash's to examine the wound he had sustained, causing Ash to blush._

_"Ash, that looks...painful." she whispered, as she moved even closer to Ash's face, before she giggled. "Your face looks more painful."_

_Ash grinned cheekily. "It pains me and my face enough not being able to kiss you." he remarked, and he landed a kiss on May's lips before she could say anything else._

_It lasted for a minute or so, before May broke it off, winked, and then she realised one thing._

_"Ash! The ball starts in ten minutes!"_

_The prince got up to his feet gingerly, and this time, he got May up the horse first before he leapt up, and they both galloped back to the castle._

* * *

Ash smiled at the recollection, but before he could relax May jumped out from her seat, and she hurriedly rushed towards her daughter, who had landed on a pool of mud.

Daryl frantically called for a towel, May was frantically fussing over her daughter, but Charis was very amused at the turn of events. "Wow," she commented, feeling the...slushiness of mud, "so THAT'S how a mud bath feel like..."

The young prince almost puked. "Charis, it's a little..."

Charis' eyes sparkled with pleasure. "A little sick? Disgusting? HORRIFYINGLY COOL?! HECK YEAH!" And she stood up from her seat, and grinned. "Sorry, I'm no princessy princess."

Daryl was too stupefied for words.

May shook her head. "Charis, that was why we enrolled 10 instructors to teach you to act like a proper princess. And you scared them all away." Then May turned to Daryl, "Sorry, she's like that."

"Nah, I prefer girls like that. You should really meet my sister-in-laws though. They really act too much like a princess."

Charis blushed at the first sentence, before she shook it off, as the servant had arrived with a towel. The princess took it graciously. "Thanks, I need that..."

May smacked her forehead again, and facing Daryl she whispered, "She's too nice to the servants, don't you think?"

"No, not really. I play soccer with mine, and we play against the villagers." And the boy scratched his head modestly, "We always win."

The queen reminded herself never to compare her daughter to a normal princess, and never tell anything about her daughter to the soon-to-be king...oh, dear, I've said a tad bit too much.

Ash laughed, and he stood up from his seat too. "May, darling, you used to have an instructor like Charis too."

Charis looked at her mum, and then at her father, his hair still yet to grey. "Oh, really?"

Ash nodded his head. "You should have seen her first lesson..."

* * *

_The instructor, a Madame Reychine glared at May, dressed in the type of dress Cinderella wears. She clucked her tongue in disapproval at her. "Oh, my, a queen-to-be should never be like this..."_

_May grimaced. "You're making me feel old..."_

_"Why, it's an HONOUR to be old. The young always respects the old, and the famed Lightning God heeds the cries of the old. You should be proud you're getting old."_

_Soon, the story of the Lightning God would strike a certain famed author Catherine Lim after technology was invented, and she would write about it, and a few years later, a young advanceshipping authoress would study the story along with another one for school, but decide not to so that she could type this out...oh, wait, I've said too much. _

_ANYWAY. May was learning how to ballroom dance. Ash seemed tortured by the lesson as well; he had to be both Madame Reychine and May's ballroom dance partner, the former dancing with him all the time to properly demonstrate to the latter about the steps taken._

_The live musicians blared on, but they soon got tired. May noticed that, and she ordered, "You guys can take a break now. Go help yourselves to some coffee or cake, and later come back when I see some improvements in my moves."_

_The musicians quickly thanked May, and they ran off in pursuit of relaxation before Madame Reychine could stop them. She stared at May. "They're mere commoners, and yet you let them stop labour like THAT?"_

_"Hey, what can I say? I'm kinda hating the music now." May shrugged, and she plopped into a seat, much to Madame Reychine's chagrin. "Besides, my king-to-be is tired too." She winked at Ash, who simply chuckled._

_Madame Reychine groaned. "Oh, oh, what sort of princess did they curse us with?" She clasped her hands, yelling at the...sky._

_"The sky had blessed us with the most beautiful gorgeous best princess in the world." Ash whispered carelessly into May's ears, sweeping away a strand of hair, and with Madame Reychine looking away, he pecked her on the cheek._

* * *

"Mum, you actually DID THAT?!" Charis squealed. "Oh, that's great, thanks Dad!" She ran towards her father and hugged him, giggling as she did that.

"What for?" Ash asked, returning the hug, and mouthing something to Daryl that caused him to blush.

"For telling me that story." Charis replied, breaking off the hug to run back to the horse. "Now I know I can say that to my instructors!"

Everyone at the scene, including the servants and maids all sweatdropped.

Just then, two very familiar figures appeared. Queen Eve and King Shan Leong glared at Daryl. "Son," Shan Leong growled, "I hope you haven't done anything underaged during your one-week stay here."

Eve glared at Daryl. "I also hope you changed your underwear."

"MUM!"

Daryl groaned, and even when Charis saw a faint blush on his face when she looked him in the eyes, she still didn't get a thing. "Underaged things? Like...?"

Ash and May decided that Charis was far too innocent to know these things, and they shuffled towards their counterparts, shaking hands and exchanging greetings, while Daryl convinced Charis to sneak back into her bedroom to hide from their parents.

"Ah, Eve and Shan Leong!" May exclaimed, forcing a smile. "Daryl hasn't done any of that...things you mentioned."

Ash nodded his head vigorously, eager to sit back and enjoy some quality time with May. "Yes, yes, he's been a good boy. Very good to my daughter."

"And I assume we have to go through the terms of the arranged marriage too?" Eve and Shan Leong snapped in unison, before they looked at each other and giggled insanely.

Ash stared. "I suggest you ask Daryl for his opinion first. He may not like the idea of this."

He casually put his arm around May's waist and held her hand when he realised Shan Leong was hugging Eve. And Shan Leong grabbed Eve's hand and kissed it. After that he snickered when Ash gave up on the battle of intimacy.

"We'll stuff him with love potions if we have to!" Eve exclaimed, still unaware that Shan Leong kissed her cheek in victory, and she rubbed her hands with glee. "I always wanted to say that..."

Shan Leong cakled. "Wahahaha..."

Eve echoed. "Wehehehe..."

And the exchange between the king and queen continued, even when they realised that Ash and May had run off to settle the preparations for the night's ball.

* * *

"Ah, finally." Ash heaved a sigh of relief, as he jumped on his bed. "How tiring for poor Daryl to have such..."

"Crazy parents? Tell me about it." May whispered, placing her head on Ash's chest and snuggling into it. Ash smiled, and he caressed May's cheeks and played with her hair, enjoying the quiet, peaceful time.

May somehow managed to sleep soundly on his chest, and Ash, deciding not to disturb May by getting up and relieving her of his chest slept as well. The couple lay in bed, with the brunette's lips almost touching Ash's chest, and Ash with his hand on May's cheek, which slowly moved down to rest on her waist.

Right after Ash had drifted off into dreamland, Charis stormed into the room, oblivious to her parents having their...quality time together.

"MUM! DA- oh, crap." Charis covered her mouth. Daryl burst into the room, but when he realised that Charis' parents were having some time to themselves he grabbed the young girl away.

* * *

May stirred, and when she woke up she found her head on Ash's chest. His one hand was on her waist, while the other hand was clutching her hand. May smiled, and she kissed Ash on the lips, causing him to wake up. "Mmm...eh?" Ash rubbed his eyes wearily, and the first thing he felt was May's lips on his.

"Ah, it feels great to see my love the first thing in the morning..." Ash trailed off, and he jumped up in horror. "The ball! May, we forgot the ball!"

May widened her eyes. "Oh yeah! Aw, man, so that was why Charis came in..." The brunette took a comb from the dressing table and started straigtening her hair properly. "Not to mention Daryl...oh dear."

Ash sighed, and he walked behind May, planting a peck on her cheek as she stroked her hair. "Doesn't matter, we got some adminstrative matters to take care of."

The king took his queen by the hand and they left the room silently.

* * *

"Woah, nice revamp." Charis complimented the grand hall that greeted the two who strolled into the balcony facing the crowd of royal people. Daryl nodded his head, and they looked at Ash and May, who were chatting with Daryl's parents.

"Mmhm, wonderful job, Ketchums." Shan Leong smiled, and he started making kissy faces at Eve, who started giggling insanely.

Ash coughed abruptly, stopping the two from their...time together, while May pouted at Ash. "Why can't YOU make kissy faces?"

"I love you May, so don't ask anything."

May shut up for the next few minutes.

Eve looked at the two royal teenagers and she waved frantically at them. "Darling! Darling-to-be! Come over here!"

Charis groaned, but she quickly regained her composure, hissing at Daryl, "Your mum's weird!"

Daryl sighed and rubbed his forehead wearily. "Well, sometimes I find myself smarter than my parents. And how did they run the kingdom I may never know."

Just then, the trumpets suddenly blared out, and the announcer...well, did his job by announcing the arrival of all guests, and all the other stuff that needs to be announced before the dance. And finally, he announced, "Let the dance begin!"

By then, both Charis and Daryl had dozed off on the sofa, with Charis' head resting slightly on his shoulder, Eve and Shan Leong were cooing and taking pictures with their handphones like they had just given birth, and Ash and May managed to run away from the insane couple and started dancing.

Ash could still hear the cries of the two adults, and he cringed when Eve yelped out, "I am SOOO arranging a marriage!" May heard it too, along with everyone else, but they all knew how crazy the two were, so they left them alone.

He held May close in his arms, and slowly they started dancing. May smiled, and as they pulled each other closer she rested her head on Ash's chest.

"It's been a long time since we actually danced." May whispered, as she snuggled closer to the king, who nodded his head as he pulled her even closer than before.

"Yep, and it's the first time I'm holding you so close while dancing."

"Ash, we danced twice."

"...Really? Oh, darn it, I'm ageing."

May giggled, and Ash kissed her on her forehead, sweeping away her fringe.

"I still remember that time, when we decided that dancing was boring and we decided to play catching instead." Ash noted, sighing dreamily.

"Yeah, and there was a mistletoe above our heads, because it was almost Christmas, right?"

"May, you ruined my story-telling. Shush..." Ash murmured, pressing his finger on her lips to silence her, before cuddling her closer, laughing as he fondly remembered that time...

* * *

_May was perspiring, despite the intense air-conditioning. She paused to straighten her dress, which was flying in all directions while running away from Ash in a game of catching, before slumping back against the wall. "Ash, I'm...huff. Tired..." _

_Ash laughed, and he faced May, grinning madly. "Whew," the boy huffed, "that was fun."_

_"Ye- um, Ash, what's that hovering between us?" May pointed to a funny-looking plant, which had a mini banner that said "Kiss. NOW!"_

_Ash looked up and he realised the cause of everything. Delia, his mum, had playfully attached a mistletoe to a fishing rod. "Do what the note says, Ashy!" she yelled, twirling her hair in mild amusement._

_May blushed, and she gave Delia an incredulous look. "But, Mada-"_

_Ash silenced her by pushing his lips against hers, causing May to almost squeal in shock, and causing Delia to punch her fists in the air, before quickly retreating it back. "Owow...aching arm..." she groaned._

_May decided that her first kiss felt funny, and she pulled away. Ash looked at her. "You don't like it?"_

_"No, but if you gave me more time my first kiss would've been much better."_

_The brunette, upon saying that grinned before pulling Ash back into a kiss again._

* * *

Ash smiled at the recollection. "I liked your tongue."

May got a little flustered. "W-Well...haha, I, uh, y-" She was cut off again when Ash kissed her on the lips passionately, stopping in the middle of the dance to do so.

He pulled away, and he smiled. "I did improve, did I?"

"Of course." May replied, grinning like an idiot. "Now, I think Charis is playing catching with Daryl." The two looked at their daughter, who had dumped her high heels on the floor, rubbed her feet with a disgusted look on her face, much to Daryl's amusement, and switched to her running shoes, which she had brought. She stuck her tongue out at Daryl, before running off. The prince was slightly stunned, but he quickly got to his feet and started chasing after her.

"Shall we go matchmake?" Ash asked, reading off her mind.

"Well, get me the mistletoes, some paper, and a marker!"

And the two, hand in hand, skipped off to their room.

And they all lived happily ever after! Okay, besides Charis who decided to kill her parents, and Daryl's parents who were sent to the Hospital of Insanity after they tried to make a love bomb and made it explode in the ballroom but it turned out to be a concoction of some weird leftover of food.

* * *

**And the authoress lives happily ever after, happy that she updated, but later she would live sadly, because of examinations, and happily again, because the examinations are over and HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 COMES OUT! Oh yes and POKEMON RANGER BATONNAGE IN ENGLISH!...right? Okay, never mind. WOOHOO!**


	11. Reflection

**Ugh, I had three stories in the making but I couldn't continue one. I'm not too sure why though. Hope I can get back to my 3,000-words-or-go-insane self.**

**This story is a dedication to a close friend Amanda and her boyfriend-in-waiting. LOL. I wrote something like what Ash wrote for May. She strangled me after that. Um, and the insane small girl did SCARY stuff to me, started kicking iwtstirluly for no apparent reason (She strangled me in the morning 'cause you took her pencil case and her boyfriend's pencil case and got caught the day before) and strangled me even after she got top for literature. SCREW IT.**

**Better not wallow in my sorrow and just start typing.**

* * *

"Dawn...what exactly did you just do to the reflections page?" May hissed, glaring at the navy-haired girl, who giggled as she looked at the screen.

"Well...since you were outside I decided to have a lil' fun, yeah know?" Dawn chirped merrily, but she sweatdropped when she met May's eyes. The usually calm sapphire had turned into a VERY infuriated ruby colour.

May breathed in sharply, in a futile attempt to calm herself down. She stared at the screen, scanning the words that Dawn typed out. She blushed at one line, but she frantically brushed it off. Dawn giggled as she reached a certain line, causing May to whip her head to the back to face Dawn.

"...Wow. Amazing." May clapped her hands, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Dawn chuckled nervously. "Hey, writing and reading fanfiction DOES help, eh?"

May proceeded to squeeze Dawn's shoulder so hard, she started yelping, "YeowyeowyeowyeowYEOW! OKAY! MAY! STOP IT! OKAY! YOU HAVE NO CRUSH ON ASH! OKAY!"

The brunette released her grip on her best friend, who started rubbing her shoulder painfully. "Geez, just appreciate the beauty of the text, will ya?" Dawn snapped, only to find her boyfriend Gary **(A/N: I had a sudden infatuation for Caveliershipping DawnXGary ...right? Sorry to all Pearlshippers who are reading this!) **behind her. And Dawn smiled as she buried her face into Gary's chest, as the brown-haired boy started toying with her hair.

May groaned. "Dawn, snuggling up to your boyfriend in front of me will NOT make me have a sudden realisation that I should have a relationship with Ash."

Gary chuckled. "May, I see Ash wrote a reflection of you as his girlfriend in your project work. Cool." And he scrolled down, saw the next section, and laughed. "Not to mention a reflection of Ash as your boyfriend!"

The girl frowned. She read the text all over again.

**ASH'S REFLECTION OF MAY AS HIS GF:**

"Oh, I love May so very much! She's pretty, beautiful, smart, funny, and I'm so LUCKY to be her boyfriend! Her face is so smooth, it's even better than porcelain, and her eyes, wow, I drowned in the sapphire sea of beauty tons of times! Her voice makes my heart race, her kiss makes me feel like I'm in heaven, and hell yeah, I'm AMAZED by her! How else can I tell her my true profound feelings for her better than through HERE! I LOVE YOU MAY MAPLE!"

-Love,

Ash.

The brunette seethed with raged as she read the next one.

**MAY'S REFLECTION OF ASH AS HER BF:**

"Ash, he's so cute, everytime I see his smile I feel faint, but of course I'll feel more faint if I fall back and get caught by him! That smile of his is simply adorable. No matter what girls say about him he's still my HANDSOME Prince Charming! Oh, when I first talked to him he was so sweet! And the way he helps me whenever I have to carry books and all, it's wonderful! No matter how grouchy he is I'll ALWAYS be there for him! I'll still love him no matter what happens! I'll stick with him through thick and thin! I LOVE YOU ASH KETCHUM, SO VERY MUCH!!"

-Love

May.

Dawn bit her lip as May reached the final part of the crime. Quietly, she ran out of the computer lab. May glared at the following words:

"P.S This is not done by any hot navy-haired girl who loves Gary. Thanks."

May deleted it, and was about to scream at Dawn for typing everything again, but the only person who was behind her was none other than Ash Ketchum.

"DA- oh, woops, heh, hi Ash." May quickly recovered from her anger, and she swept back a strand of hair that had fallen on her face.

"Hey," Ash greeted back, still oblivious to what had just happened, until he saw May's red face. "Um, May, you mad at something?"

May wiped away her BLUSH. "U-Uh, yeah..." May almost whispered, but she got back to her normal self, "Dawn wrote a reflection of me as your girlfriend and a reflection of you as my boyfriend in our point of views."

Ash looked blankly at May, causing her to blush painfully again, and he laughed. "Well, I guess that explains why our pencil cases are with them..." The duo looked at Gary, waving the pencil cases, grinning nervously before bolting for the door, and Dawn, laughing her head off.

May pushed her chair aside violently, before screaming, "DAWN! GET BACK HERE YOU LIL' RASCAL!" And then she ran out to get them.

Ash blinked, and he sighed. "Well, I should start chasing..." And he quickly sprinted out of the lab before she could rip Dawn into shreds.

* * *

May wiped the sweat off her forehead, and triumphantly she plopped down in her seat, huffing. Ash strolled in later, and sat down next to the brunette.

"I have to start on my reflections for the project work, right?" Ash queried, raising his eyebrows at May, who was still perspiring profusely. _The salty sweat on her forehead would probably taste good if I kissed her...wait, did I just think about that?_

Ash smacked his forehead. How exactly did he have a crush on May?

_You love her because she's May Maple,_ his conscience teased, mentally poking fun at Ash's brain. Ash swatted the voice away, but to no avail.

By then, May had already finished writing down everything that Ash and May needed to do for the project, and started to type out her reflections for the project.

Ash sighed. His conscience had somehow faded away, and now he could finally get back to work...

...Wait, what was he supposed to do again?

The boy, upon looking at the blue sheet of paper, slightly crumpled and torn at the sides knew what exactly what to write. He lifted his hands, but simply let it hover above the keyboard. No, he didn't feel like writing a reflection on school work.

He looked at May, her face pulled into a face of sheer annoyance, as she violently jabbed her fingers into the keyboard vigorously. She growled at the computer screen, her eyes widened as she continued her work.

Ash let his head tilt to one side, and he simply slumped back into his seat. He glanced at May, who had suddenly groaned in annoyance **(A/N: ...Wow, sounds like someone...oh, wait, that's me.) **"May, you okay?" Ash asked, looking sympatically at the brunette.

May let out another groan.

And after that, the raven-haired boy decided not to pursue anymore.

"I'm only supposed to write a reflection, and then I can go home..." he mused thoughtfully to himself, nodding his head. "Well, I should start."

He began typing out his reflection.

**(A/N: I think_ italics_ would be thoughts, normal would be reality, and underlined would be the reflection itself.)**

Working with my team mates was a great experience.

Ash stopped writing. He thought about the next line for a moment.

_A great experience, eh? Like the time when you were dared to do push-ups on top of May. Oh yeah, May was blushing really bad, Gary was doing push-ups on Dawn but he looked like he was going to collapse on her any moment, and at least I could do it._

_Dawn was giggling, and quite insanely at that. Gary was trying his best to do the push-ups quickly to beat me. I took it slow and steady. Oh yeah, that was fun._

We played games such as one when Gary and I did push-ups on top of Dawn and May respectively. I still remembered how May blushed. It looked very cute, and it kinda matched her outfit. Well, I enjoyed looking at her.

And that line caused Ash to blush furiously.

_And the time when the group picture was taken. You had to lift May up bridal-style, to instill the humour. That wasn't really humorous, but it did make you smile, right?_

_Start typing, Ketchum._

To add some fun into our project, our group photograph included Gary sweeping Dawn up into the air, and I had to carry May up in my arms in a tuxedo. I liked the photograph alot, and even though it wouldn't be humorous to most, I always smiled looking at it.

Ash looked at May. Her sapphire eyes were still raging, but they shone brightly. He stopped to stare at her eyes, and soon, his eyes looked at her facial expressions. There was a frown etched on May's face, and the ever-annoying word 'STRESSED' was scribbled all over her face.

How cute.

...Wait, did he just say that mentally...?

_There are three reasons why you like May. Let's start to un-confuse your feelings, shall we? First of all, you're staring at her so much that you just drowned in her face._

May is the one person I would like to comment about. Her eyes are simply beautiful. Stunning. Whatever my vocabulary can describe 'beautiful'. As I am typing I am staring at her like she is the only thing I can stare at.

_Second thing. You are blushing as you type and listen._

As I am staring I am also blushing at her. Why is this so?

_Finally, you love May because she's May. That's why this is so._

I love May. Yes, it's because she's May. This is probably not a good way to say this, but never mind. I love you, May Maple, from the bottom of my heart.

_Save the reflection. Send it to May. Go home and finish that math homework._

Ash did just that.

* * *

**To be honest, I found this one of my worse ones? Oh well. WAHAHAHA. Now iwtstirluly CAN'T BE MY 60th REVIEWER! LOL! He's been my first reviewer for every single story ever since I introduced to him advanceshipping. Oh well, I guess 61th is nice too.**


	12. Crime

**Woah, this stinks. I can only communicate through my story. UGHHH. This is kinda annoying...Well, to a certain someone, this was why I couldn't get online. Just edited...a little. It's annoying, but play.**

* * *

May stormed into the room, sobbing quietly. Why was her mother so unreasonable?

She grabbed the box of tissue towards her, sniffling. No, I'm not going to cry anymore, she told herself repeatedly, but still the tears flowed down.

* * *

_"May, you are NOT going out with Ash anymore! You see him every single day! What's so interesting about him anyway?" Caroline snapped, glaring at May._

_May said nothing, only stared._

_The mother, as she hurried herself, shook her head. "He's been dragging your grades down. And giving you trouble. He's not like Drew; that boy's may be playful but he's smart. Oh dear, May, just stop hanging out with him."_

_May clenched her fists at the name 'Drew'. _

_Caroline shook her head, "What makes him so interesting? You speak to him so often, but you never speak to your brother at all. So does that mean your brother is boring?"_

_The brunette almost snarled at her mum in frustration, but she kept mum._

_"If your grades drop because of him, May, you know what will happen..."_

_And the brunette controlled herself, once again, from exploding. It was stressful enough to listen to all these horrible things of Ash._

_She sighed at the last word. Ash. Her one true love. But why was her mother stopping her from loving him?_

_"You only play basketball because of him." she remarked, placing her hands on her hips to glare at May._

_"No, I don-" May was about to snap back at her mother before she was cut off. _

_"I'll call Ash later; you know I have his number. I'll tell him my problem." she hissed, before she waved her hand, dismissing her daughter back to her studies._

_The brunette drew in a sharp intake of breath. No, she can't call him. No..._

_She bit her lip. How would Ash react? Would this call signify the end of their blossoming relationship? Would he stop talking to her, stop loving her, stop communicating with her like the last time?_

_No. Her mother can't call him. She can't._

* * *

May looked at the computer. She was banned from it. She couldn't talk to Ash, she couldn't warn Ash of the impending danger.

But the worst was that she couldn't tell Ash that she would still love him no matter what happened.

Mya had always wanted to tell Ash that, but usually her shy side would emerge, and she would be speechless. Somehow, everyday, while watching him smile, while holding his hand, she just felt like reaching up to peck his cheek, and whisper into his ear her feelings, once more.

She couldn't do any of those.

May hugged her teddy bear tightly, and at that moment she just wished that Ash was there with her to comfort her. He was usually there to listen, and to give her words of encouragement.

Sometimes, when she was feeling down, she could sulk all day. Despite that, Ash still stuck by her, being his old, ordinary self, smiling brightly.

But there was one incident that worried her quite alot.

* * *

_May explained the entire incident to Ash once more. When that was done, he shook his head. "Did your mum tell the teachers?" he asked, lifting up the bag full of the basketball equipment._

_"No, I guess. Probably because I told one already." May replied, holding on to one end of the bag. Ash held on to the other one, but decided to take the entire bag himself._

_"Ash, you don't need to-"_

_"Nah, it's okay." And the boy laughed, scratching his raven hair modestly. And then he remarked, "Your mm should call the teachers though. Stealing your stuff is kinda bad."_

_May nodded her head. "If she can call the school about you, then..."_

_Ash frowned, and he sighed. "Loving you is a crime, isn't it?"_

_"No, it's not..."_

_Ash looked at May, who had already buried her face in her hands in exasperation. "My mum..."_

_The raven-haired boy smiled softly. "Well, it's good that she's concerned though." And he murmured, under his breath, "A crime..."_

May slumped back into her seat on the floor, but she decided that no, the floor was not a suitable place to sit. The brunette leapt onto the sofa, messing up her chestnut brown hair.

"Aw..." she whispered, smiling as she stroked her hair down. It reminded her of how Ash liked to play with her hair when he hugged her.

Her tears stopped flowing, and she laughed once more, remembering the numerous times when he tried, but to no avail, to entangle her hair. He would mess up her hair, and at some times quite swiftly, and then he would run his fingers through her hair to check for any knots.

"Ash, you should check your own hair for any knots." she would giggle, as she ruffle his hair.

"Well, your hair is nicer to play with than mine." Ash laughed, before planting a kiss on her forehead.

The laughter soon stopped when Caroline walked in, looking at her daughter. "Get the groceries for me." she said coldly, before turning away.

May obeyed her mother, took the grocery list her mother had inconveniently put on the dining table, and strolled out.

She stuffed her hand into her pocket, sighing. Just get over with it...

* * *

**(A/N: The Jonas Brothers' Inseparable. I'm listening to it now. Someone PLEASE recommend some songs that are non-disney related in any way?)**

_Take my hand tonight  
We can run so far  
We can change the world to anything you want  
We can talk for hours just staring at the stars  
They shine down to show us_

The song rang within the supermarket, as May lifted the basket, looking about at the rows of food stuff. She smiled. It would be wonderful if Ash could be by her side, every single moment of her life, just being with her. Well, perhaps it would be romantic to just look at the stars...while holding his hand.

Ah.

_That you know when the sun forgets to shine  
I'll be there to hold you through the night  
And we'll be running so fast we can fly tonight  
And even when we're miles and miles apart  
You're still holding all of my heart  
I promise it will never be dark  
I know..we're inseparable _

No matter what life threw at them...she would never leave his side.

They were inseparable.

_We could run forever if you want  
And I would not get tired  
Because I'd be with you  
I can tell you're listening until the very end  
We have done all these things_

Of course, she would never be tired when she was with him.

Though, would Ash be tired? Maybe, from constantly running through her mind. **(IT WAS IN FIRST CLASS YESTERDAY! COOL!)**

_You know when the sun forgets to shine  
I'll be there to hold you through the night  
We'll be runnin' so fast we can fly tonight  
And even when we're miles and miles apart  
You'll still be holdin' all of my heart  
I promise it will never be dark  
I know..we're inseparable_

I would give it up  
To never let you fall  
Cause you know we're inseparable  
I would give it all  
Just to show you I'm in love  
Yea you know we're inseparable

Yes, she was in love with Ash Ketchum. So what if her mum didn't like Ash? She would still love him, no matter what.

_You know when the sun forgets to shine  
I'll be there to hold you through the night  
We'll be runnin' so fast we can fly tonight  
And even when we're miles and miles apart  
You'll still be holdin' all of my heart  
I promise it will never be dark  
I know..we're inseparable_

May grinned. Inseparable.

"Ash..." she whispered under her breath, after checking that there was no one nearby, "It is a crime. One that must be pushed to a successful end, no matter what the odds are."

* * *

**DONE! Woah, this is the first time I typed so fast.**

**Any other questions, just send an e-mail. As you are reading this I am probably saying 'gtg bb'. LOL. My mum may see it and KILL ME.**


	13. Cooking up some infatuation

****

SCHOOL'S

**OUT!**

**FINALLY!**

**Basically, I'M FREE!**

**The little oneshot was thought of when I was eating my cute adorable mini chocolate muffin...wait, make that three. It's a bit like Ratatouille, just that the romance genre is more concentrated.**

* * *

May watched in awe as the pancake was expertly flipped, while a very bored Ash looked on, catching occasional glances at the brunette's face, which spelled out one word rather clearly.

Awesome.

It was a beautiful, serene Saturday morning at the Ketchum residence. Situated in the fine town of, um, Pallet Town. After what seemed like a great adventure, Ash invited May over to "have some training before heading for Johto".

That wasn't really the main reason behind it.

"He's awesome..." May breathed in, her eyes glued to the television screen.

Ash rolled his eyes. "May, you've been saying that for the past half an hour ever since the cooking show came out."

The girl grinned, still watching as the chef started mixing up a concoction of spices, herbs, and more. "It's not just his cooking. It's his face, too," and she giggled, before squealing, "He's so adorableeeee!"

Just then, Pikachu, along with Eevee, bounded into the room. The yellow mouse had an apron on, but when he saw his master looking curiously at the apron (it was a floral pink one), he quickly swiped it away from his neck, before leaping onto Ash's lap. Eevee nestled herself beside May's legs, and decided to nap for a while.

Ash shook his head, and he observed the chef on TV for a little longer before stating, "May, he doesn't look that..."

"Doesn't look that what?"

"Um, never mind." Ash murmured, before slumping back into his seat,stroking Pikachu's fur. "Girls these days..."

* * *

"Girls these days..." he repeated, as he paced about the living room, "can't seem to understand how May can actually get infatuated with a chef..." And as he continued muttering about this horrifying fact, Pikachu watched on sympatically, before getting up, and then scampered into the kitchen. Delia Ketchum wasn't in, for she was out helping out Professor Oak at the lab, while May wasn't in, for she was busy shopping and hanging out with Misty, who had dropped by Pallet Town.

He stretched his small body, smiling. Ash wouldn't bother him much.

Besides, he was too busy worrying about getting May to notice his evident crush on her.

He made the preparations first before starting on his daunting task to make something. He washed his...paws, took out some ingredients from the refridgerator, stole Ash's iPod from his room (he never listened to it anyway, Pikachu thought, and besides, I downloaded my own songs without him knowing) and got down to work, with the skillfulness and swiftness of an experienced chef, he started his muffins.

(Hope Eevee will like them...) Pikachu muttered, in his own language, as he blushed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash was straining his ears, just trying to listen to the chef as he fired out rapidly the instructions for making a perfect breakfast.

So far, the only words he had been able to absorb was "breakfast", "pancakes" and "morning".

The raven-haired boy frowned at the chef. "Screw cooking..." he muttered, and he sighed dejectedly. "How hard can it be to make a stupid piece of pancake anyway?"

But if cooking was the way to May's heart, and if pancakes were the way to go...

...He'd do it.

The boy buried his face into his hands. If that was the way, he'd be a walking pile of cuts, bruises, scalds, and stench when he reached his destination. Which was going to be really ugly considering the fact that Ash was a muddlehead at cooking.

Just then, he detected a faint aroma from the kitchen. And then he noticed that Pikachu was missing, along with the Barbie apron Ash had playfully given to Pikachu on his birthday. After that he realised that the cooking show had ended and he still didn't know how to make a pancake.

Ash could only register one thing in his head.

"I hate pancakes, and I'm never touching one ever again."

"Aw, man, how big can this shopping mall be?" May squealed in awe as she strutted out of the 19th shop she had visited so far, armed with all 19 bags filled with her purchases, consisting of clothes, clothes and...clothes.

Misty strolled out from behind her, holding an equally huge load of shopping bags. "Puh-leez, you should have seen the Cerulean City shopping malls. They'd really burn a hole in your pocket."

The coordinator laughed, before snapping her fingers. "I forgot to buy some of those cooking pans the cute chef on TV recommended. Mum will love those."

She sighed, her eyes sparkling as she fondly remembered the chef, captivated by his skilfulness. "He's practically PERFECT."

And then she started dancing about, as though she was drunk in merriment, as the gym leader eyed her friend curiously. A vague memory nudged her at the back of her head...

* * *

_"Hey, Mist." Ash whispered, almost shakingly, to Misty, "can I ask you a really weird question which may possibly spell the end of our friendship and cause you to pull out that scary mallet?_

_"Um, yeah, but am I given permission to pummel you and potentially kill you with the mallet?"_

_"No."_

_"Fine, just shoot already."_

_"Um..." Ash blushed, biting his lip, before he shook the pre-question-asking symptoms and blurted out, "How do you make a girl fall in love with you?" And then he shut his eyes tight, steeling himself for the blows and attacks he was about to receive._

_Or so he assumed._

_"Ash, that's the weirdest question I've ever heard from you."_

_"No, the weirdest question was, 'Woah, who's that pokemon?' which was really lame because it turned out to be a Pikachu."_

_"Your Pikachu, actually."_

_"Shut up, Mist, you just rubbed it in my face." _

_"That was my purpose, Ashy." And the orange-haired girl smirked at Ash, "So, who's the girl?"_

_Ash rolled his eyes. "Look, just give me an answer, and I'll tell."_

_"Okay...well..." Misty, thought about it for a moment, before simply stating, "Be yourself. Now, who's the girl?"_

* * *

Misty smiled, almost maniacally, before looking at May, who had stopped dancing but instead started rambling about every little detail of her chef idol.

"You...told Ash about him too?" Misty asked, almost meekly, twirling her fingers anxiously.

"Yeah, I watched it at his place. Why?" May cocked an eyebrow.

Misty sighed, but nevertheless she forced a smile. "Well, a word of advice, May. Don't say stuff about the chef to Ash. And don't ask." She adjusted her orange hair and smiled. "Hey, let's continue our shopping hunt, yeah?"

"Pikachu..." Ash breathed in sharply, as Pikachu, armed with a pair of oversized oven gloves (Barbie didn't sell any oven gloves and thus Pikachu had to return the money he had stolen from Ash), pulled out a tray load of chocolate muffins, freshly baked to sheer perfection, "WHAT did you do to flour to make these..."

Ash paused to accept a muffin that Pikachu had offered, and then as he munched on the muffin, savouring every taste of it, he widened his eyes in...shock at the beautiful muffins. Through his food, he managed to utter one word, "...Lovely."

Pikachu blinked at Ash. (I thought Delia made better muffins?)

"No, she doesn't make any. Aw, man, if only I could give some of these to May and say I cooked 'em!"

(Baked. And are you implying anything that involves stealing my credit for making the muffins?)

Ash frowned at Pikachu's shrewdness. He started pouting at Pikachu. "C'mon, buddy, you KNOW how much I love her!"

(Yeah. If May said she would only be your girlfriend if you printed her face all over your underwear, you'd do it. Plus, you would print it on any other underwear you can get your hands on.)

Ash blushed, but he quickly shook it off. "PLEAASEEEEEE? With ketchup on top?"

Pikachu's eyes lit up. (WEEELLL, I'll do it if you buy me ten bottles of ketchup. First-grade, straight from the cool French restaurant you brought May and I to. I got drunk eating their ketchup.)

"..."

* * *

Ash forced a smile as he escorted May back to the living room. It was the last day of her stay, and both were going to part ways the next day.

"Uh..." Ash tried to strike up a conversation, as instructed by Pikachu who had to busy himself in the kitchen, preparing the specified snack, "I just start baking my...uh..." Oh crap, he forgot what was that weird name given to the dish Pikachu was making after he got so caught up on thinking about...May?

"Your...?" May raised her eyebrow.

"Uh...MUFFINS!" Ash blurted out, "YEAH! MUFFINS! I'll just, uh cook-UH I mean uh BAKE! Y-Yeah! BAKE muffins! I'll just go BAKE MUFFINS!" And then he drooped his head down slightly in embarrassment.

May giggled at his cuteness (which, she thought, was even cuter than that of the chef, as usual) and then she grinned when she asked, "Can I watch?" ,her eyes sparkling at the prospect of watching Ash bake.

Ash paused for a moment. Pikachu didn't plan for THAT! "U-Uh...wait, I'll need to check the, uh, ROOM SPACE! Yeah, uh, I need some, uh, SPACE! For, uh, COOKING! UH, I mean b-baking! Y-Yeah...I'll uh, go check."

And with that, he scrambled into the kitchen.

"Psst. Pikachu!" Ash hissed, when he ducked under the tabletop to look at the rodent eye to eye, "Can I invite May in?"

(No, 'cause she'll see you watching ME bake. Which totally ruins your plans.)

"Um, okay, fine."

Ash quickly stood up, and he was about to run towards the kitchen door to tell May the news that no, she couldn't watch, until he failed to notice the stray apron Pikachu had carelessly left behind. With a yelp that pierced into the monotonous silence and drear of Pallet Town, he slipped and fell with a loud resounding thud.

May, upon hearing the thud, instinctively rushed into the kitchen, only to find Ash sprawled on the floor, and Pikachu...baking?

"ASH! You okay?" May queried, bending down to nudge him, looked at Pikachu, whom she caught red-handed wearing gloves (okay, that sounded really weird), and cocked an eyebrow. "Pikachu, were you baking for Ash?"

(Oh yeah, since you can't understand me, I'll just say HELL YEAH! I did all this for Ashy boy here, who apparently wanted to impress YOU because of some stupid chef on TV! And now, Ash, dude, just CONFESS ALREADY!)

All May could hear were exasperated "PIKAAA!!" and "CHUUUUU!" from the yellow rodent, who seemed very pleased with his outburst, grinning maniacally. She glanced at Ash who was blushing madly.

Eevee, at that time, hopped into the room, causing Pikachu to blush as well. And then she started rambling, (Oh, how ADORABLE! Pikachu, will you bake for me to win my heart like what Ash did for May?)

THAT May could understand.

Pikachu widened his eyes. (EEVEE! SHUSH! May's not supposed to...know...UGH!) His ears twitched in exasperation, and he bit his lip.

Ash looked at Pikachu, and May looked at Eevee, and then the two looked at each other, the raven-haired boy now simply sitting on the floor, and the brunette kneeling beside him.

"Ash...you did all this...for me?" May whispered, blushing.

"Um..." Ash started to stutter violently (don't ask), "Y-Yeah, I-I did. I j-just wanna s-say that- uh that I -"

He was cut off by a small kiss on his lips, planted by May. And when their lips parted, Ash grinned sheepishly, while May had only one thing to say.

"I'm baking the next time."

* * *

**Hope this is good. I didn't feel like putting the three famous words in the story, but hey. Actions speak (painfully) louder than words.**


	14. The robbery

**I actually thought of this...strange idea while discussing composition ideas with my sister. It suddenly popped out in my head and then I ran out of the room to get my notebook to record it down.**

**And after I write this oneshot, I'll stop updating for a while to concentrate on my other two stories, excluding the highly UNsuccessful story of mine...**

**Yup. So hope you guys enjoy this. ****

* * *

**

May shuffled into the house, looking rather awkward, with her blushing face, her evident lack of experience in wearing high-heels, and the fact that she was alone going to a party was simply not helping. However, everything was made up with her stunning yet simple back-less red dress, touching her knees, and her neck was adorned with a necklace that sparkled and shone whenever she walked, giving people a cause for envy.

The young author, who had purposely postponed all meetings for this event, didn't know it would be THAT awkward.

She stumbled, almost falling, and then she cursed herself silently for wearing high-heels. And then, scratching her head sheepishly, she mustered the courage to join her friends, all of whom were either kissing their boyfriends with a fiery passion, hugging them like it was the end of the world, or simply chatting about mundane events, their hands intertwined all the time.

Perhaps she was a tad bit behind her friends. She, a beautiful, young, 20-year-old woman, with a successful career and a bright future, didn't have a boyfriend. Heck, she never had one in the first place.

She would always reproach her friends for watching the schoolboys with lovelorn eyes while giggling madly when one would look their way. The girls would pour over teen magazines, gushing over how cute or hot a certain boy is, while May would pour over the brand new book she had just gotten. Whenever anyone of them got a boyfriend, the group of friends, excluding May, would always ask "Hey, how's your boy?" and they would ask that every once in a while, just to be updated on their first hug, first kiss, and the details of where, when and how did it occur.

May, who was a nerd who was sought after by many boys who crushed on her, simply waved them away every time one would approach. At times, her friends would shake their heads, asking May why did she reject every single one of them.

"Love takes years to forge, girls." she muttered, "and besides, love isn't at first sight. They just like me because I'm pretty, not because I'm me."

That, perhaps, was the cause of her single status. May groaned. Her childhood memories didn't consist of a childhood sweetheart, just books, books, family and friends. She had grown up too fast.

But nothing could ever change her love philosophy. Love simply couldn't exist, couldn't be created at first sight. And that would never change. Not ever.

The brunette continued to observe the bustling, love-filled environment that simply had no space for her. She noticed her classmate Whitley, the girl who never had a boyfriend during their school days, but had never given up crushing on at least one, with her head leaning against her boyfriend, who May could not recognise. It was simply a beautiful painted picture.

May really wanted to paint her very own picture.

She observed Jasmine for a while, for she was quiet, and thought that perhaps she was still single like herself, until she noticed Volkner, with his electrifying blonde hair walking towards her. The long-haired lady gave a meek smile, before choosing to settle with holding his hand and hearing him whisper sweet nothings into her ear.

No, no, no, no. May could not find anyone suitable to talk to. She grimaced. She had no choice.

"Uh, hi, Dawn!" the brunette chirped, forcing a smile that gave away her sheer awkwardness for interrupting their smooching session.

Dawn kissed Gary for a second or two more, before breaking it off reluctantly, and then giving him a pout, for no real reason. Then, she turned towards May, and then she grinned. "Maaaaayyyyy!" she cried, pulling May into a hug.

May gladly hugged back, and for a moment she felt quite at home. "Hey, Dawn."

The navy-haired girl smiled. "So, when's the new book coming out? It was...ah, yeah, the title was 'Love is not at first sight', or something like that? I do wanna read it."

"Well...it's coming out soon. I have to go through some stuff to publish it though."

"No worries, daaaaaaarlin', I'll wait!"

And then Dawn giggled, almost sinisterly, before falling back, unconscious, into the safe arms of Gary Oak. May shook her head forlornly. "No wonder she said she wanted to read it. She was drunk."

Gary raised his eyebrows. "Whatever, Maple." With that said, he lifted her onto a sofa, where he accompanied her.

May sighed dejectedly. "Great, just great, I get to hang out ALONE. Oh, wow, why in the world did I even ACCEPT the darn invita-"

The girl took a hasty step back, bumping into someone who had been unfortunate enough to be her victim.

"HEY! Watch your st-" May was about to criticise the guy who had stupidly stood there until she saw him for herself. Those deep, jet black eyes.

"Well, sorry, I was just, uh, looking for someone." he muttered, standing up to pull the girl up from her awkward position on the floor, smiling slightly, "Do you know anyone by the name of Miss Maple?"

May blushed, and almost giggled at the formal name she had been given by such a handsome young man of her age.

But wait! No. She couldn't be little miss nice girl. May hastily replied, "I AM May Maple."

He laughed, almost uneasily. "Ah, Mis-"

"May. May will do just fine."

"Ah, okay, May then." The guy, clad in a suit with a cobalt blue tie that look rather awkward among the crowd, smiled sheepishly, before saying, "Uh, I really like your book. I just, uh, want to say that."

The brunette looked at the raven-haired male, and she continued taking in the details of his face. His hair was in a mess, ruffled into a mass of raven hair, with a slight tinge of brown. His eyes were those deep eyes that May could easily sink into. He had a birth mark, two lightning bolts that were plastered on his two cheeks.

_Everytime I think I'm closer to the heart  
Of what it means to know just who I am  
I think I've finally found a better place to start  
But no one ever seems to understand_

_I need to try to get to where you are  
Could it be you're not that far?_

The brunette coughed, but that alone could not pull her out of her very own world with him. She was simply...mesmerized by him.

But, she had barely known him. Heck, she hadn't a clue what's his name. Ask him, a voice nudged her in the head.

He seemed to have read her mind, for the next thing he said was, "Uh, hi, I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum." And he extended a hand as a gesture. May stretched out her hand to shake his, and it seemed as though time had paused.

His voice. It seemed so soft, so gentle, something that could hold a fragile person such as herself. His handshake was firm, and May felt warmth, warmth that coursed through her arm, and slowly, it spread all over.

It melted that ice-cold heart of hers.

Ash Ketchum.

_You're the voice I hear inside my head  
The reason that I'm singing  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you  
You're the missing piece I need  
The song inside of me  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you  
Oh yeah_

Ash Ketchum.

That name, that voice, it rang in her ears. Ash had introduced himself rather thoroughly for someone whom she had just met; he was a photojournalist who enjoyed reading and photography in his spare time. He bought May's book upon recommendation by a journalist friend of his who did a book review that simply showed readers that her book was almost flawless.

May smiled gleefully, but she quickly shook off her grin. Why was she doing this? Was she rebelling against her age-old love philosophy? Is love at first sight...real?

No. She was confused, lonely, and she needed a break.

She was tired. Really tired.

_You're the remedy I'm searchin' hard to find  
To fix the puzzle that I see inside  
Painting all my dreams the color of your smile  
When I find you it will be alright_

That smile of his, it kept on popping out in her head. May struggled to sit more comfortably on the sofa she had just recently plopped on after meeting Ash, and at the same time, she struggled to shut away thoughts of him. Those eyes, she could've drowned in them if given more time. They were so deep, so warm. She had a sense of safety, a sense of protection when she was near him.

Perhaps, just maybe, he could be the one that would give her the love she had always longed for.

But, she had barely met him. How was this possible? Perhaps...

_I need to try to get to where you are  
Could it be you're not that far?_

_You're the voice I hear inside my head  
The reason that I'm singing  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you  
You're the missing piece I need  
The song inside of me  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you_

_Been feeling lost  
Cant find the words to say  
Spendin' all my time stuck in yesterday  
Where you are is where I wanna be  
Oh next to you, and you next to me  
Ohh...  
I need to find you  
Yeah_

Her eyelids drooped heavily, but May tried her very best to keep them open for any sign of him. He had disappeared out of her sight when she just happened to close her eyes for a mere second. She was tired. Really tired. Maybe she should get some sleep and then wake up believing that it was a dream. She felt slightly confused by the surging emotions within her. There was a question that had been bugging her ever since she saw him.

Would he change her thinking?

_You're the voice I hear inside my head  
The reason that I'm singing  
I need to find you (I need to find you)  
I gotta find you (yeah)  
Your the missing piece I need  
The song inside of me  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you(I gotta find you)_

She had never felt the same way about anyone. Was this love? The constant watching, the smiles she would never fail to cast whenever he happened to look in her way despite the fact that she had rather poor eyesight without glasses, the biting of the lip whenever she saw him smiling or chatting with another lady.

Was it?

Was it really love at first sight?

_You're the voice I hear inside my head  
The reason that I'm singing  
I need to find you (I need to find you)  
I gotta find you (I gotta find you)  
Your the missing piece I need  
The song inside of me  
I need to find you  
I gotta find you  
Yeaeaahhh  
I gotta find you..._

Perhaps. Yes. It was.

* * *

May walked back home, clutching a piece of paper with Ash's phone number and e-mail on it. She smiled widely as she opened up her laptop, and typed the very words at the back of her book.

_On this very night, a robbery took place. My heart was robbed, and the robber never returned it to me. He left me his phone number, his e-mail, and a deep impression. Perhaps love is at first sight. It wouldn't be for anyone, and it wasn't for me at first. But on this very night, it was. _

* * *

**Hope you guys liked it.**


	15. Answer

**Well, I'm not too sure if I'll post this in time, but hey. I'll try. Well, let's start with why this story is special. I wrote this specially for a very special someone, and well, sadly, that special someone's birthday FALLS ON THE DAY AFTER THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! SO, that's why I posted this slightly later than usual. This story is thus dedicated to him. Yup. **

**I shall assume you know who I'm talking about (PLEASE don't ask me about the identity of the person on MSN, 'cause I'll deem you denser than Ash Ketchum himself) and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR 2 MONTH HOLIDAYS! YAY! PLUS THIS STORY! YAY! AND, UH, EVERYTHING ELSE! YAY!...Uh, yeah.**

**And of course, 459 ALOTALOTALOTALOTALOT...I'LL MISS YA.**

**Yup, okay I said enough. And to all my other readers, this is NOT unrelated to Ash and May! Which is good, considering the fact that you don't know us that well. WAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**R&R!**

* * *

"May, what in the world is THIS?" Dawn asked, incredulously, as she handed back the crumpled piece of paper, filled with tiny heart-shaped doodles and stickmen of no recognisable gender holding hands. They were drawn in twos.

"Uh, this? W-Well..." May blushed heavily, drooping her head down and allowing a strand of hair to fall down. She bit her lip uneasily. "Uh, a poem."

"A poem. Right. And you've been memorising this to say it aloud to ASH KETCHUM?" the navy-haired girl asked, adjusting her pink beanie and her (coughpinkcough) skirt. "Girl, he's the biggest airhead I've ever seen."

"B-But it's kinda straightforward, right?"

"Straightforward? Well, I'm not saying that he won't get it, I'm just saying that he's so dense he'll think you're nuts if you read this to him!"

May and Dawn, once again, for the very last time, looked forlornly at the paper, the torn sides, the sweet yet simply drawn doodles that proclaimed one thing: love.

They focused their attention at the content, which was rather sweet and cute unless you consider the fact that May was ready to say it aloud to Ash Ketchum (Dawn had affectionately called him 'airhead')

_If I could have just one wish,__  
I would wish to wake up everyday  
to the sound of your breath on my neck,  
the warmth of your lips on my cheek,  
the touch of your fingers on my skin,  
and the feel of your heart beating with mine...  
Knowing that I could never find that feeling  
with anyone other than you._

_Ash Ketchum, I love you._

_You hold that special place in the depths of my heart. You're the light that warms me. Your smile makes me forget all my pain and worries. My love for you is everlasting. No matter what happens, I know you'll have my back, and I'll have yours as well. Even if my mum disagrees about loving you, I don't care. Because I love you so much._

_Happy birthday._

**(The poem was done by Courtney Kuchta, so kudos to her, yeah? But the bottom lines are by yours truly)**

"It's cute..." May muttered, after Dawn had read out the poem. "And I would like that..."

"WELL, cute, but somewhat...formal and...too romantic for an airhead like Ash. And it's cheesy. WAY too cheesy."

"Whaddya expect ME to do? His birthday's tomorrow, and he doesn't want a present, and I can't go out with him to celebrate it, and and-"

"And what? C'mon, May, you're sweet, thoughtful, creative, and romantic at times! You can do something ELSE about this!"

"Look, Dawn, I really love him, but it's just that...I'm just afraid of telling him. I mean, we've been friends for years, and I really don't wanna destroy this relationship, even though it's platonic..."

"Then...I have one piece of advice."

* * *

_Be yourself._

The two words rang in her head constantly, as May slumped back into her seat at home. "Be...yourself?"

Well, it wasn't really that hard when it came to acting natural around her friends. But confessing? No, it just simply wasn't her.

She had tried it numerous tries, but all she could say was not even audible to the human ear. She ended up stuttering, laughing, giggling, or just simply blushing madly. But there was one thing bad about that.

Ash

Ketchum

didn't

even

notice.

The stutters, he had assumed that May had a temporary speech impairment, and even suggested she see the doctor. The giggles and laughing he had thought that there was something on his face that was simply outlandish. He had tried to rub the imaginary stray object once or twice, but he would end up with nothing and assume that May, as he put it casually, 'hallucinated something stupid' on his face.

* * *

_The setting wasn't really special; in fact, it wasn't really romantic. _

_But somehow, to May, a place with Ash in it was ALWAYS romantic._

_She watched him cautiously as he laughed with his friends, scratching his head sheepishly, and grinning widely. As his lips moved, indicating that he was talking, May felt her lips quiver. She had recess, sure she did, but she would really love to taste those lips of his._

_If only he knew..._

_Then, as she observed his number of friends crowding around him slowly shuffling away to attend to other matters (though May couldn't understand why they wanted to do other things over hanging out with Ash; she would do anything to stay with him forever), Ash looked at her way and waved._

_The bunette waved back, and seeing that no one was around to hear her confession, she slinked towards him, smiling nervously as she approached him. "Hey May." he greeted._

_Ah. The sheer perfection of his voice. Soothing. Calming._

_"Hi." May greeted back, but she decided to skip the 'mundane stuff' talk and get down to her purpose of approaching him. "U-Uh, A-Ash, I, uh, j-just wanna s-say something..."_

_Ash raised an eyebrow. "What did ya say? Sorry, but I can't seem to get it. You stutter too much, and you've been like that ever since..." he paused to recall when exactly, tapping his forehead furtively for an answer, before giving up in a couple of seconds, "...I'm not too sure when."_

_May laughed. Well, she thought, I guess it was when GOSH, I STARTED TO LOVE YOU!_

_And before she went on to say the wonderful three words, she burst out laughing, for no apparent reason at all. Ash scanned her face, red from laughter, and he cocked his head to the side._

_"What? Something on my face?" He asked, and then he started swatting his face rapidly, in order to get rid of whatever May was laughing at._

_"NO, no, haha, so anyway, how was your day?" May blurted out, before smacking her forehead mentally. Another time, then..._

_But, quite sadly, it was the fifth time she tried._

* * *

Oh, the drear of telling someone THAT dense that she loved him.

So very much.

Well, she tried. Perhaps it just wasn't the right way to tell him her deep, profound feelings for him. She tried all means, telling him straight in the face, telling him through love notes, and he threw almost all away because they were pink, and he threw the blue one away after he swore that he never wanted to read a love prose again after literature class.

* * *

_May, skilfully, for she had done this thrice so far, slipped a pink envelope, sealed with a kiss. Well, not really a kiss, just a sticker with red lips. As expected, it was slipped perfectly into his locker._

_She spotted Ash coming, and hurriedly, she crept away, back to Dawn, who was calmly leaning against the locker, her hand locked with that of her boyfriend, Gary, and her head almost buried in his chest._

_May instantly thought of her head leaning on Ash's chest, and Ash's head leaning on May's head, and their hands clasped together. Slowly, steadily, gradually, their eyes would lock, and then they would bring their lips forward, and then taste each other's lips (and perhaps the previous meal, thought May, as she chortled), smell each other's skin, and she would be able to hear his heartbeat, fast but steady. She could even imagine it now._

_But right now, she had to watch Ash's reaction when he finds the love note._

_"Ugh...I am NEVER going to sit near a whole group of girls in literature class when we're studying Romeo and Juliet..." Ash muttered, as he practically yanked out his books. And then, the love note fluttered out._

_"...Crap. Juliet's favourite colour. Pink." Ash growled silently, as he hastily picked up the note and tossed it into the dustbin._

_May, well...she never used pink again._

* * *

Heck, she tried fanfiction, even. She had to study about Ash's favourite show, which was hard considering how she had to read through the entire article on Wikipedia, and at the same time browse forums for shippings.

But how then? How should she tell him?

* * *

It was the day of Ash's birthday. More specifically, the morning of his birthday.

The raven-haired boy had received a truckload of gifts from his insane fan girls, along with some close friends. But, quite sadly, most of the presents were pink and fake claims of true love.

"Silly girls..." he murmured, filtering through the stack of letters he had received, almost all of which had a slight tinge of pink. "They never do know what's true love, right?"

Well, he DID read this really nice love story done by May. He never really knew May could write such lovely romance stuff. Or knew that she actually watched his favourite show.

It was rather familiar. Perhaps he had read it somewhere else. Or maybe because he saw May do it before, though he wasn't sure to whom. It was about the female character loving the male character, and she uses all sort of excuses and methods to tell him that yes, she loved him. Cliched, but still. It was cute.

And then Ash's mind drifted to May. Somehow, he had been thinking alot about her. He didn't know why, but he couldn't ask anyone. Gary and the boys would definitely cook up some rumour that would slowly escalate to a complicated love affair, and asking his mother of all people would result in catastrophies worse than...catastrophies.

Well, not like he bothered, right?

...Right?

It was his birthday, after all, and he shouldn't be thinking about Ma-

"Hey, birthday boy." Oh great, speak of the angel...wait, did he just replace 'devil' with 'angel'...?

Ash whipped his head back, and he was slightly startled, for May was rather close to him. "Ah, sorry..." she blushed, and she rubbed her head apologetically.

"Well, no probs." he laughed it off, "And thanks."

The brunette smiled back. "We're friends. It's natural for me to wish my friend a happy birthday, right?" She plopped down on the seat next to him, "You're my friend."

"Well, yeah." Ash nodded his head in agreement, and when he looked at May he felt a faint blush spreading across his face. The deep sapphire eyes of hers looked stunning.

Just like any other day when he noticed her.

And THAT was everyday.

What was this? Ugh, he was a guy, he wasn't supposed to know. Girls were usually the romantic dreamers. But why him? Why all these wonderful fantasies of him scooping May up into his arms, holding her, kissing her...

THAT was wonderful.

You're crazy, he mused to himself, but nevertheless he knew something had to be done. He couldn't ask anyone for help though...

But, hey, if May was a friend...

...maybe he should ask her.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" the raven-haired boy queried, forcing a smile from his face, "If I keep on thinking about this girl...and then blush whenever I see her...and stuff like that, do I love her?"

May raised her eyebrows. This was certainly not her plan at all. In fact, she was merely planning to ask him out to watch a movie, and perhaps from there, confess her love for him. This was DEFINITELY not in her agenda.

"Who is that girl?"

"...You."

Ash blushed, and his heart palpitated violently. What in the world did he just ask her? But that wasn't even the real problem; it was how in the world would she react to this question?

May breathed in sharply, closing her eyes for a moment to absorb the information presented to her. Think fast, she thought, tugging at the hem of her collar, THINK!

"Well..." she bit her lip, and then she chortled, "True love is hard to explain. I'd rather you experience it. " She paused. This was the only idea she got, and she didn't have time to cook up more ideas. "Maybe this will give you an answer."

With that, she brought her face close to Ash's, and her lips hovered over his for a moment...

...but somehow her lips decided to land on his cheek instead, causing both to blush madly. "M-May..."

The brunette pulled away from Ash, a smile forming on her lips, as she licked it with relish. "Well, I hope you got your answer."

* * *

**Hope it wasn't...weird or...awkward, or stuff like that. I found it a lil'...funny? I have no idea why though. R&R! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**


	16. Ketchup

**My friend on .destiny's tale. (though I may have her name wrong; she changes it all the time) and I were chatting about her taking over 12 Hershey factories and Japan, while I...get the rest of South East Asia as birthday presents for Christmas. And I doubt I would be able to update on the Christmas week; family gatherings call for punctuality and presence. Besides, I wanna see my plump cousin make earthquakes while skipping.**

**...Never mind that. Anyway, I thought I'll just type this out early. So, merry Christmas (My first year without getting kiddie presents...adult presents are just clothes and stuff), happy new year (FIREWORKS), happy chinese new year (I'm getting money-minded...), happy...er, April Fools'(YAY!), and er...happy birthday (in advance, or belated, choose any one, but that'll be the last greeting) people.**

**And I wanna say something.**

**SORRY SORRY SORRY FOR CANCELLING THE DATE AT THE LAST MINUTE!!!!! ARGHHH. I was really annoyed at myself...**

* * *

"So," The manager sat back in his chair, stretching his legs, for there was no need to be formal with such a brat asking for a job, "Are you willing to work 24/7 cleaning, cooking, and doing all sorts of jobs that teenagers these days would call 'crap'?"

"Yes, sir."

"And that would mean getting your nails broken."

"I'll be fine, sir."

"...Plus, you would not get paid extra for working overtime. Are you willing to do this?"

"...Yes?"

"AND get a much lower pay than the other people due to the economic crisis and pure evilness?"

"...I guess so..."

"You WILL be slapped, punched, kicked, and pulled violently by other employees, and by the time Christmas comes by, you'll be physically AND mentally AND psychologically HURT to the CORE." And the man, stroking his beardie as though they were chatting about the weather, brought his face closer to the brunette, causing her eyebrows to twitch in disgust, "Are you still willing to do this?"

When the girl didn't reply, he continued his rant, "Are you willing to go through such emotional torture, such craziness, such little pay? Are you willing to fill up this-" and he brought up a piece of paper to her face, "-APPLICATION form and go through HELL in McDonalds'? HUH? Would YOU?"

"I'll...be okay...I guess..." the brunette shuffled uneasily, standing there, looking rather awkward with her denim jeans, worn out from constant wearing, her turtleneck shirt, and her red bandana. It was a rather classy-looking office: a grand table, with neatly-rowed books, a shelf, stacks of paper waiting to be sorted out.

She saw nine of these offices so far.

The manager looked at her with a shocked expression, but then he chortled, and gave her a small smile. "Well, then, you're hired."

"Eh?"

"I just said it. You're hired."

"...Oh."

Mr Zhang, as the other employees addressed him, nodded his head. Pointing to the form he had almost flung in her face moments ago, he ordered, in a slightly softer tone than before, "Fill this up and you're ready to go."

As May filled up the application form before him, biting her lip as she pondered over the cause of the man's fury before, he said, rather frankly, to her, "Usually most girls would've ran out of my office when I said they would get their nails broken. I told the boys that they would have to put up with some gay employees here, so they ran out too."

"...So you were testing me?"

"Kinda. All those things I said were crap. Hehe. So you'd get a normal pay and normal stuff." He chortled, but he stopped, and asked, "But were you willing to put up with all that if they even existed?"

"Yeah. I need the job."

"For...?"

"Uh...myself..., er, yeah. Myself. "

May, when she finished the form, handed it to the plump man, thanked him, and walked out of the office, relieved to have gotten such a burden off her chest.

* * *

And that was how May Maple, smartest girl in class academically but not physically or love-wise, got a job. For a simple reason, really.

She wanted to see Ash Ketchum during the long summer. He, apparently, visited Mcdonalds every single day.

And why did she want to see him out of all people?

Oh, that was easy.

She had this sudden urge every single time at home or anywhere else to see him, and when she did see him, she had this sudden urge to hug him and kiss him. Wow.

But frankly speaking, she thought to herself...

...She was hopelessly in love with that raven-haired guy.

* * *

"Hey, can I order a- WAARGGHHHH!" Ash almost fell, and he did after losing his balance when the brunette turned around, revealing to the boy her sparkly sapphire eyes, her small smile, the ketchup stain on her face...

...And the fact that she was wearing the Mcdonalds uniform. THAT was freaky.

"What are YOU doing here?!" he shrieked, leaping back to his feet.

May smiled as though the raven-haired boy had never fell in the first place. "Well, obviously you didn't notice my clothes." She twirled around once, and then grinned as she saw what seemed like a blush creeping up his face. "So, whaddya want, Ashy?"

Ash rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'd like...a cheeseburger."

"Woah. Are you on a diet or something? Usually you'd take the triple cheeseburger meal, and upsize it."

The boy bit his lip. He didn't want those pair of nice hands to get all dirty and...greasy. For a cheeseburger? No way was that going to happen to May...did he just show what people would deem as 'concern' for the girl? "Shut up, employee."

"Would you like a drink with that..." May felt the manager's presence behind her, his eyes trailing her every move, and she quickly flashed Ash a smile, and added, with a hint of sarcasm, "...Sir?"

"No. No thanks..." and with equal sarcasm, "...Miss."

"Ketchup?"

"If you're counting the one on your cheeks, then-"

"Sorry, that's not for use." She then huffed, before wiping it off hurriedly and awkwardly with a napkin.

"Then...I can leave the counter now?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"...Right...Okay. I'll just, uh, leave the counter..."

May sniggered, as she tossed the burger onto the tray after the manager had left to check on someone else. "Have a crappy day."

* * *

And why...did he almost say "I'll kiss the ketchup right off your cheek and your lips if you have any" before being interrupted by May herself again...?

Ah well. He was a guy. He wasn't supposed to solve weird attractions, girls were supposed to do the job...

...Right?

Stupid. And now he felt attracted to Counter number 6.

Ash rebuked himself, for the last time, that no, he didn't need any ketchup or fries, or a double cheeseburger meal to add to his single cheeseburger to make a triple cheeseburger anymore.

But still, his feet decided that today, they rebel.

"Hey, uh, Sir, 'cuse me! You can order here." The guy at Counter number 5 yelled, waving his skinny arms frantically. The raven-haired boy wouldn't budge.

And when Ash finally reached Counter 6, Counter 5 boy shook his head, before shuffling off into the depths of the kitchen, never to be seen again...

...Until another customer came, of course.

May cocked her eyebrow quizzically at Ash. "Whaddya like?"

Ash bit his lip. "Uh, I would like..."

And when he didn't reply for the next minute or so, the brunette groaned. "C'mon, you can order it today if you like instead of JUST STANDING THERE AS THOUGH YOU'RE GONNA ORDER A CENTURY LATER!"

The boy was too absorbed in the ketchup stain on her lips.

"FINE, I'd order." Ash replied hastily, before smirking as he said the following, "I would like those ketchup-stained lips of yours in a kiss with mine."

"That would be tw-"

Before she could state the exact amount of money he had to pay for her lips, Ash had already pulled her into a kiss over the counter, causing May to freak out. As they pulled away (finally), the brunette grinned widely.

"Would you like a Saturday date with that? But that'll cost you an expensive dinner, you know."

* * *

**LOL. Kinda short. O__O**


	17. Lock it up

**CHINA WAS FUN!**

**For the last two weeks, I've been away in CHINA! LOL! And I've gained inspiration through uh, sights, and chats there. Weird. My friend urged me to do one of the dead ideas I've written in my book (which acted as a diary for the two weeks; because of that I have to write in a new one...think of how much I actually WROTE IN THERE!), so I'll do it soon. But for now, I'll just write about something that I saw that piqued my interest.**

**WRITER'S BLOCK ISH KILLING MUH BRAIN! NOOO! But I'll aim to finish the other...three...oneshots in mind before what, school?  
**

* * *

May Maple stirred in her sleep. The bunk beds they had provided in the hotel up in the Yellow Mountain were double deckers, and furthermore, they had squeezed in five more of those kinds.

The brunette, with her hair tussled up blinked as she struggled to get up. It was a horrible night, with the cold, hard bed, and the freezing temperatures both inside and outside that threatened to make her gravely ill. There was no heater on in the dark room, no lock for the bathroom and only a small television in the room.

"The hotel really lives up to the banner that says 'meticulous management' and 'world-class service'..." May muttered, looking up at the ceiling, which was inches away from her face, and the dead fly stuck on the double-sided tape.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ew."

Well, here she was, an elite student from Singapore, on an exchange programme to China which had stupidly put them in this cold, dark room, at the foot of the majestic and supposedly romantic Yellow Mountain, or Huangshan in Chinese. Great.

May grudgingly pulled out her phone, the only source of entertainment for the trip aside from her mp3 and her notebooks and her diary, and checked the time. 3am.

And she remembered her first day on the mountain, trekking up the mountain, freezing, tired from hiking up all the steps that never seemed to cease...

Well, in the very least she had her friends, and Ash, who offered her his jacket which provided much warmth. But she didn't understand how a normal jacket used in normal air-conditioned rooms could give her THAT much physical warmth...

...Or was it the FACT, the THOUGHT that it was Ash's jacket that made it so warm, and cozy...?

Gosh, May thought to herself, shaking her head, don't think of such crap now... She had much worse things to worry about, like how was she going to sleep with that constant knocking and urgent hisses from the window...

...Wait. Who's knocking?

The brunette bit her lip. Oh crap. Now the hotel's haunted as well. Great, just excellent. What a great way to die. Oh, she could see the headlines now: "Girl, 14, killed by ghostly sightings." And the description? "A 14-year-old Singaporean girl on an exchange programme died due to unnatural causes during a trip to Yellow Mountain. Police are investigating the case. The girl seemed to have died by a heart attack after seeing what she thought was a ghost."

Holy shit, that wouldn't be nice at all.

Think happy thoughts, she muttered to herself, think HAPPY!

And the first thought that came to her mind was none other than Ash Ketchum. "Okay, stop happy thoughts, May, no matter how happy they are..."

She decided to give up on giving up that certain happy thought on Ash Ketchum, and decided to concentrate on the REAL situation.

"H-Hello...?" May whispered, slowly getting up into a sitting position. The bed creaked noisily, sending a shiver down her spine. "Shush, stupid bed..." she hissed.

"Mayyyyyyy..." The voice cried out. "Get uppppp."

The brunette hastily grabbed her bottle as an act of self-defense. "Crap, this won't help against ghosts..." she grimaced. She had no choice anyway. Unless there was a garlic-flavoured Clorets (she bought every single flavour out of boredom and greed, for they were priced at an unreasonably cheap price), she had absolutely nothing.

Oh well...

So, with the huge bottle resting on her shoulder, May hurriedly clambered down her bed, causing more eerie creaks. "Stupid bed," she hissed under her breath, "stupid creaks..."

The voice persisted in calling out her name. "OI, MAY.."

That voice...it sounded familiar.

May gulped when she realised who it was. Could the ghost have possessed Ash's body? Did he fall for it? Is he okay? What if-

There's no such things as that...right?

Ash was strong, tough, brave, and oh so handsome...

Oh crap. Maybe the ghost liked Ash as well. Maybe it was possessing HER. Maybe-

...What was she THINKING?

May slapped herself mentally. Silly me. She liked Ash NATURALLY, not UNNATURALLY...

Summoning up her courage, she ripped open the door. Shutting her eyes tight, she hurriedly swung the bottle at the unknown predator with all her might. "ARGGHHHH! GOAWAYGOAWAYGOAWAYGOAWAYGOAW-"

She felt the predator grabbing her hand, and somehow, a surge of warmth pulsed through her. Wait, don't tell me she was falling for her ENEMY?!

"Yeow, what was THAT for??" the raven-haired boy, clad in two shirts and a jacket to fight off the chill of the night asked, letting go of the girl's hand as she finally opened her eyes to see who she attacked.

"A-Ash...?" May heaved a sigh of relief as she pinched his cheek to verify that no, he wasn't a ghost, "Sorry."

She already fell for her enemy. That was stupid.

Ash laughed, rubbing where the brunette had hit earlier. Thankfully, the bottle was half-full, and it didn't hurt much. "Nah, it's okay. Doesn't hurt much anyway."

His laugh caused May to smile, and blush.

Silence ensued for a second or two, and then May asked, "Why did ya call me out for?"

* * *

The chilly wind howled eeriely at the duo as they trudged through a mass of snow, ice and leaves in the dark depths of the night. They were armed with a small torchlight to guide them through a small path, which was enveloped in darkness.

"A-Ash...? You know my eyesight isn't good, right...?" May muttered through her chattering teeth. "Rrghh..."

The boy spun back and nodded his head, though May couldn't quite see it, and then he added, "We're going somewhere special."

"Somewhere special...?"

"Yup."

"Where? Wait, you DO know your way around here...right?"

"May, would you rather trust me, or your EXCELLENT sense of direction?" Ash asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He knew she got lost within the China school twice. Well, it was big enough for someone to be lost, but they had been walking the same route for 1 whole week.

"...Good point."

After a few minutes of walking, she nudged Ash lightly, causing him to jump. "W-What?" Ash asked.

May tried to hide her blush by burying half of her face in her jacket, which was rather easy, considering that the jacket reached her chin. "U-Uh, I odn't really wanna get lost, s-so, can I ju-"

"Well, you can hold onto my hand, if you want to..." The boy whispered, holding out his hand to her.

May bit her lip. Don't squeal like an insane girl, don't squeal like an insane girl, just take the hand and take it that you asked him previously, and not take it that HE asked you...

The brunette stood beside him and grasped his hand slowly, as though unsure of what to expect. Her gloves provided some warmth, yes she had to admit, but holding Ash's hand was HOT.

Or was it just her face burning up? She couldn't quite tell.

Ash nervously laughed, as he gradually intertwined his hand with hers, and then clutching it tightly like a mother holding her child's hand. He looked around. There was no one in sight that could disturb this moment...

No one.

* * *

"Well...here we are." Ash smiled triumphantly, panting. The steps that took them here were tiring. He squeezed May's hand, and the other hand fumbled in his pocket for that little...

"Wowww..." May gasped in amazement, as she struggled to catch her breath, "Look at all the stars, Ash! I've never seen anything like this before back at home!"

Ash looked up, his hand slowly slipping away from May's. There were indeed tons of stars studded across the dark night sky. The moon, in its crescent form, shone brightly on the two, and the surrounding.

He looked at May, engrossed in admiring the sky, and smiled. She looked so beautiful. A stray lock of her brown hair was out of place, so Ash unconsciously swept it back to place, smoothing her cheek at the same time.

The girl flinched, and she looked at Ash with a clear crimson blush creeping across her face. She didn't say anything at all.

Ash simply couldn't stand to resist the temptation that had been haunting him for the entire trip with her. Swiftly, he pulled her close to him, his lips grazing her nose slightly, as he firmly planted his hands on her waist. He felt his own lips take charge as he first grazed her lips with his own, and then slowly locking his lips with hers for a kiss.

May didn't budge, she simply kissed him back, as her hands crept up to pull his head closer to hers. She pulled her lips away from Ash, just enough for her to say the three words she had been wanting to say for the entire trip with him, "I love you."

Ash nearly fainted from shock.

"So," May whispered, their heads still close, and she was able to taste his breath (not to mention his late-night snack), "what did you want to show me again?"

Ash snapped out of his trauma. "OH YEAH!" And he took her hand to a chain of locks, all of which were engraved with Chinese names, and he fished out a lock, in a heart shape, with his name engraved in it. "You heard the tour guide today, didn't you? About the locks?"

It was true. Locks, with the names engraved on it...

Locking your love here...

Ah, to May herself, it symbolised eternal love.

"Aw, Ash, you aren't going to lock your love with yourself, aren't you?" May laughed, pecking him on the cheek. "Is there any space for the name 'May' on that lock of yours?"

And for the first time, Ash actually felt that the trip just started.

* * *

**I'm DONE! FINALLY! YIPPEEEEE.**

**Okay, I have one more. YAY!**

**I think my writing started to get funny-sounding...LOL.**

**R&R PLEASE! ('Cause I miss the times when I would check my review alerts in my mail...)  
**

* * *


	18. Christmas traps

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! LOL. **

**Dear Santa, if you somehow read this fanfiction (DUDE! YOU'RE AN ADVANCESHIPPER TOO?!) and saw this, can you grant me these wishes, 'cause I've been VERY GOOD THIS YEAR! ...No, seriously. **

**1. A DOG!**

**2. FOR A SMOOTH-SAILING 2009 WITH ALMOST NO MAJOR PROBLEMS!**

**3. TONS OF WRITING IDEAS!**

**4. Uh...INSANITY!**

**5. GROW! PLEASE, OMG, I NEED TO GROW! I'm staying constant and my sister's growing. **

**And...you can ask me personally in my dreams or something if you wanna give more (or less...don't make me pull your beard). LOL.**

**MY OCs WILL BE HERE!**

**

* * *

**

"JINGLE BELLS, ASHY SMELLS, EIGHTY MILES AWAY! ASHY LOST HIS BIKINI AND FOUND IT ON HIS HEEEEAAADDD!" Some laughter and giggles erupted, before the song continued, "JINGLE BELLS, JI-" The phone sang teasingly, and loudly, not to mention by a familiar two voices and that woke poor Ash up on Christmas Eve.

"-OST HIS BIKINI AND FOUND IT ON HIS HEEE-"

The raven-haired boy groaned, and he practically smashed his poor phone which acted as an alarm clock. It stopped immediately. "Good GRIEF, who in the world recorded that?"

Grudgingly and feeling rather sore and insulted on the eve of Christmas, he got up. He picked up the phone and was about to reset the alarm clock ringing tone when he saw the title of the recording.

DONE BUH CHARISH AND EVELYN

The boy grimaced as he remembered how nice it was for "Uncle Ashy" as the two annoying 7-year-old girls had put it, to allow them to toy with his phone. And then he checked the message box and found a draft made by their respective two 8-year-old brothers that said the following.

ASH LIKES MAY HAHA

Thank GOODNESS they were only cousins, and that they were spending Christmas abroad. So without them, and for the first Christmas ever since the foursome arrived as lil' twerps who knew how to speak (and even before that, when Ash first started to try babysitting, they yanked out a few fistfuls of his hair, and broke a few of his own toys), he could finally enjoy a REAL Christmas without their interruption. Without any interfering.

And this time, he would DEFINITELY confess to May that he likes her.

Of course. His cousins weren't here to mess it up. Just like last year...

* * *

_The brunette smiled as she stepped out of the door. Ash himself smiled back, as he let go of the doorknob to approach May._

_"Well, Ash," May whispered, keeping her smile on, "Merry Christmas. Thanks for the dinner, by the way."_

_The raven-haired boy blushed, but he kept his composure and laughed. "Yeah that's nothing." He bit his lip silently as he took one step nearer to her. This was it. He was going to confess. Right now, with the open door and his cousins screaming on the floor for no apparent reason. He just wanted to say it. He leaned against the rail, smoothing the wooden sides nervously.  
_

_"Uh, May," Ash started, "Can I te-"_

_Suddenly, two girls leapt onto Ash's back and started screaming, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! WE DID IT!"_

_And then, suddenly, their brothers ran out. One of them, Shan Leong, grinned madly. "WE KILLED THE EVIL MEANIE ASH!"_

_The other boy, Daryl gave an...EVIL LAUGH?!?_

_Everyone stared at Daryl before Charis giggled. "You can join the dark side with ME NOW! YAY BROTHA!" And she proceeded to spoil his evilness by hugging him. And that was when the 7-year-old smacked his forehead and groaned.  
_

_After that, the two boys decided it would be fun to join the piggyback ride; besides, there was room for more. So they leapt on, leaving the two girls screaming their heads off as though two random awesome idols of theirs had kissed them on the lips._

_Daryl's little sister Charis decided to be a koala for the day, and so she climbed over Ash's head and tried to cling on him from the front, when Ash toppled over, leaving every little child screaming for their lives._

_And that was when Daryl accidentally spilled his tea over May. No one ever knew where he got it...  
_

_And that was when Evelyn was practically flung out from her seat, for she was screaming, "INCOMINNGGG!", before catapulting herself into May. Thankfully, the latter stepped out of the way gingerly, and Evelyn landed in a pile of snow. And that was also when Shan Leong decided to catapult himself too, but he landed in front of May instead.  
_

_And that was when Delia, armed with her chopper knife, and a frying pan, came out screaming, "WHERE'S THE ROBBER, KIDS?!?"_

_And that was when Pikachu came out, accidentally shocking Ash, and Ash alone, thinking that the robber was out for his ketchup.  
_

_All in front of May Maple._

_"U-Uh, well, I guess I'd...better get going! YEAH!" May laughed nervously, before slowly strolling out, leaving four screaming kids, a very pissed and electrified Ash, a satisfied Pikachu who raided the kitchen and ate his ketchup, and an overprotective mother, cooing over every little child's bruise._

_...More of the pissed part for Ash.  
_

_

* * *

_

Ash shivered. He couldn't walk for the rest of the day then.

But now, no interruptions. AT ALL. Ah, finally, a break from evil.

The raven-haired boy grinned madly...

...until he stepped on his skateboard and fell butt-first on the floor with a resounding thud.

"YEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!" He screamed. And as he lay slumped on the floor, a piece of paper fell on his face. He looked at it. He read it thrice. And then he screamed.

Again.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

He stared at the paper and read every little illegible letter and word.

DeAR AsHY,

My BESTesT BrOThA DaRYL WanTED To TELl YOu THAT We LEFt

LEavINg SomE TRApS AnD We ALL WaNT YoU To ENjOY It!

BYE

And he saw that the writer left a lipstick mark obviously drawn by hand with...wait, where did that red came from...? He brought the paper close to his nose and gave it a sniff.

It was undoubtedly ketchup.

Suddenly, he realised that the fridge had only one packet of ketchup, and that was half-finished...

...And that last bit could be on this very paper he was holding...

...And that meant trouble.

BIG trouble.

Ash scrambled out of his room, only to be greeted by a HUGE MESS, a charred Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Sceptile, a soaking wet Cyndaquil, and a huge roar from outside.

"PIKACHU!" Ash yelped, running out of the house, and to his utmost horror he saw his poor deprived Pikachu zapping his Charizard. And after that, it single-handedly threw his hefty Snorlax. And after that...the press outside his house recording the craziest fight ever witnessed ran off, after seeing Ash half naked with his boxers on.

The boy smacked his forehead. This was going to be tough.

* * *

After Pikachu was finally satisfied with a bottle of ketchup, Ash slowly combed the house for any traps. Sure enough, he found rollerblades and anything wheelable strewn over the place, spilt marbles, super glue on Ash's usual seat, on the fridge door and on all his potato chips so that he would be caught by his mother trying to eat the potato chips.

Once all that trap-clearing was done, he promptly plopped down on the sofa, earning him a LOUD "PHHHHUUUUUTT!"

Pikachu, who was sucking on his ketchup bottle burst out laughing, but that earned him a pillow thrown by Ash. "Shut up, Pikachu!"

Just then, another piece of paper floated onto Ash's lap. It was blown by the gas that had come out violently and loudly.

HiYAAA

I SEE tHat YoU FouNd ThE WHOOpEE CuShAUn

WHOOppEEE

We HAVe MoRE In FoR YoU!

After that was a bunch of little heart shapes bearing the person who helped Charis write this. Namely, her own brother.

* * *

Ash sighed heavily, as he sat on the front porch waiting patiently for May to arrive. His mother had been out for the day to celebrate Christmas with her favourite nephews and nieces, so he had the whole house to himself.

Pikachu managed to coax Cyndaquil, soaking wet from before by Pikachu, to start a warm that, the two of them curled up together side by side to relax. The cold winter breeze chilled them all, and it didn't help that the door was wide open.

Ash, fully clothed to brave the cold, looked around. No one was in sight. He noticed a snowman with stickers, made by Charis, Daryl, Evelyn and Shan Leong, on the day before they set off to celebrate Christmas abroad.

He rolled his eyes, and then sighed. It was rather quiet without the-

"Hey, Ash!" a certain brunette greeted, distracting him from his daydream. She waved, and then she brought out a gift from her bag."I got something for you five!"

You FIVE...?

The raven-haired boy got up and smiled. "Hi, May. Glad that you could make it."

"No problem. I just wanted to see you and your cousins!"

Ash twitched at the word "cousins". But in the very least she singled him out! ...Yeah, she singled him out...

Stupid hope.

May grinned. "Yep, you fi-" And she stopped. "...Wait, they ain't here, are they?"

Ash nodded his head, trying to look as solemn as possible. Well May, he felt like saying but simply couldn't, now there's just you and me and the whole house to ourselves.

"Yeah...they went abroad to celebrate Christmas." he whispered.

May blinked. "Really? Oh, that's too bad then. I remember Charis promised me that she'll give me the video of her trying to make Daryl change into a Santa Claus outfit...I really wanna see them wear those Santa outfits!"

Ash laughed. "They'll be coming back tomorrow."

"I see. Ah well, I guess it's just you and me, huh?"

"Yep."

All alone in front of the warm firepla-

Just then, he heard Pikachu and Cyndaquil screaming.

"PIKAAAAAAAAAA!"

And before they knew it, the whole gang of Tauros had started a stampede in the house...

...With a very flushed Bayleef on top.

They screeched to a halt at the door, and the Tauros got out in an orderly manner without potentially destroying the place. Bayleef followed suit, glaring daggers at Ash and...May.

"BAY! BAYLEEF BAY!" (ASH! HOW DARE YOU!) she cried, obviously upset with May.

Ash stared at his Bayleef and cocked an eyebrow. "What do ya mean 'how dare you?' And why the heck did you bring the entire Tauros pack? I thought they were hibernating?"

"Uh, Ash, they don't. In fact, no Pokemon hibernates." May stated, putting her hand on his shoulder. And that caused Bayleef to erupt into a tirade.

"BAYY LEEF BAY, BAAAAAAY!" (YEAH, RIGHT, ASH! SOMEONE TOLD ME ABOUT ALL THESE! SHE'S A STUPID *%&$#%$!!)

Ash growled softly under his breath. "Did...four...cousins...tell you that...?"

"...Bay. Bayleeeeef." (...No. More like a note told me.)

Ash took the note one of the Tauros handed over to him.

The note, for the first time was in an envelope. Ash ripped the seal off, before realising it could be saliva, and he frowned in disgust. After that, he realised May was still standing there, so he invited her to go in first while he cooled off outside.

When May disappeared inside, and when the boy heard, "Oh, hi Pikachu! Hi Cyndaquil!", he gingerly yanked out the letter, and read it intently.

DeAR AsHY!

If YOu ArE ReadInG tHIS MESSaGE,

It MeaNs MAY (And Charis had expertly drawn a heart beside her name) Is HErE AlREaDY!

TeLL HeR I'M SoRRy I coUldN'T GeT DaRYL tO ChANGe To SaNTA

ThE OUtFiT wAS tOO BIg AnD HE WaS ICkY aND SwEATy So I DidN'T WAnnA ToUCh HIm

AnD I HopE BayLEEf ISn'T tOO UpSET!

We JUst StoLE hEr BLaNkY AnD gAve HeR ThIS NoTE

So ShE ThOUGHt IT WaS YoU!

We GaVE thE TaURoS ThIS MEssAGE

CuZ ThEY wANTEd It

AnD ChARIZarD miGhT BuRN IT

We HAVE OnE lAsT

IN-

STA LL-

MEnT

FoR YOU!

P.S DaRYL gAVE mE tHAT LONg WOrD SO I tHOUGht BreAKINg It Up WOulD HElp

ByE

"One last INSTALLMENT?!" Ash cried out, obviously shocked that his trap-combing experience of four years didn't help one bit. Dejected, he sighed.

Just then, May strolled out. "Hey, Ash, heard you sighing. What's up?" she asked, her bright sapphire eyes looking up into Ash's own brown eyes, her lips curved into a smile.

"Uh, nothing much, really." Ash muttered, leaning back on the railing.

All these years, he had never been able to confess to May, all because of the four cousins. And now, he finally had the chance to say how much he loved her.

The way she laughed, the way her eyes sparkled in delight at anything, her rosy cheeks that Ash yearned to smooth. Her brown hair, swaying with the breeze, that Ash had yearned to run his fingers through, her lips, that Ash yearned to kiss...and hear the three words he had always wanted to hear from her.

"C-Can I-"

Suddenly, a small, familiar plant dropped down from above, right in between Ash and May. Attached was a note.

Ash didn't care whether a stupid plant dropped down, he just wanted to tell her NOW!

But before he could say anything, May was blushing furiously. "A-Ash..." she whispered, "t-that's a....MISTLETOE."

The both of them stared at the little plant. And then May smiled.

"So...we have to kiss, right?"

"I...guess so...no breaking tradition, right?"

May nodded, and the two slowly moved their faces together for a short, sweet kiss. When May pulled back slowly, Ash held her, gently, as he whispered,

"I love you, May."

This caused the brunette to blush, and she felt his hot breath blowing against her face. She looked into his eyes, smiled, and whispered back, just as softly,

"I love you too. Merry Christmas."

And after that, Ash took out the note:

Hi AsHY!

We KNEw YoU WanTED to KISs MAY fiRST beFoRe REaDINg THis

DaRYL maDE suRE thAt yoU wILL AcTIvATe ThE MiSTlEtOE

By USinG YoUR

NeR-

VoUS

SpOT

ThE RaILiNG

As A TRAp

HoPE YoU likED thE trAP!

MErrY ChrISTMAS!

FrOm ChARiS, DaRYL, EvELYN, AnD ShAN LEoNG

And for the first time, Ash actually liked the trap his cousins set up for him.

* * *

**I'M DONE! MUAAAAAHAHAHA!**

**THAAANKS to xXlil-eveXx for giving me INSANITY!**

**1. Break into Santa's workshop, by bribing him with a brand new, hip reindeer everyone knows and loves: aeroplanes.  
**

**2. Tie Santa up.**

**3. Raid his factory and make thousands of Kingdom Hearts figurines.**

**4. Swim in it.**

**5. Make a huge sea-salt ice cream and skate on it and make snowmen with it.**

**6. Throw a HUGE X'mas bash and charge 10 bucks for every photo with a tied up Santa. **

**We're evil. Yes, we are.**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!  
**


	19. Jenny

**Woah. Wait, how long has it been since I've updated...?**

**Anyway, this chapter's sort of...warm up! I...can't really think of any sweet ideas (unless you count songfics; but half of the songs I like are break-up songs. O.O)**

**Yupyup, R&R!

* * *

**

"...Brendan, why am I doing this again?" Ash Ketchum asked incredulously, looking at the song sheet, and then looking out to see the eager audience...boo-ing off the performers. "T-They just boo-ed that guy off! I mean, he's a great singer, and he had training, and and-!"

"...And you're doing this for May. Right?" the white-haired boy retorted simply, wagging his finger. "The stage's set, and you just sing your heart out there, kay? Like when you're..."

"Showering, Brendan. I sing ONLY WHEN I SHOWER! In PRIVACY! Not in front of a freaking AUDIENCE!"

Brendan pursed his lips. How many times has he seen this argument...? "Ash, dude, you have a great voice, okay? Just-"

The MC was out, facing the not-so enthusiastic audience, as he laughed nervously, "Er, yeah, uh, great! Our next performer is.."

Ash smacked his forehead. "Oh crap."

"...Ash and his gang of buddies!"

* * *

May's ears perked up at his name, before she sighed. "Well, this would be interesting..." she muttered, as she stopped reading to watch.

Anabel smiled, "That's great, May. Hey, I didn't know Ash could sing or do anything musical!"

The brunette looked at her best friend incredulously, "He CAN'T...or maybe he's been hiding it from me."

The duo watched Ash awkwardly walk out onto the stage, as Brendan and Drew set up their respective instruments and mics. His eyes darted around nervously and he had to bite his lips from screaming from stage fright.

"Psst. Heeeeey! ASH! C'mon, just SAY IT!" Drew hissed madly, as he drummed his fingers on his guitar's frame rhythmically. He took a few seconds to check that his green hair was in place, before smiling at the audience, with the charm of any guitarist.

Brendan nodded his head meekly, and he waved at the audience, before glaring back at the raven-haired boy with the i'm-gonna-throw-this-stick-at-you-if-you-don't-say-anything look. He twirled his...er, sticks expertly, before sitting down before his drum set, flipping through his music notes to the song they were supposed to play.

Ash yanked his collar nervously, as he brought the mic to his lips. "U-Uh, we're gonna play 'Jenny' by the Click Five. Brendan's drumming, Drew's my guitarist, and I'm..." he gulped, closed his eyes and quickly blurted out, "..singing."

The entire audience, especially his classmates (and May, laughing at his misery) roared with laughter. Ash was well-known as 'the guy who broke two lamppost, three arms and five windows with his soccer ball', and he was, of all things, up there on stage, singing.

His eyes glazed about, and they fell right into May's gleaming sapphire eyes, sparkling with curiosity and glee. He summoned up whatever was left of his courage, and quickly, hastily said "ThisisforMayMapleandI'msososososorryforeverythingthatI'vedonesowillyouforgivemewiththissong??"

The DJ, completely and blissfully aware of Ash's true motive to doing this, quickly chimed from backstage, "Ketchum, would you repeat that SLOOOOWLY for EVERYONEEEEE to HEAAAAAAR?"

The raven-haired boy grimaced. "FINE. MAY, I'm SORRY for everything, okay?! I'm SORRY, so I'm practically BEGGING you for forgiveness by SINGING! OKAY?! HAPPY?! I FREAKING L-!"

"OKAAAAAAY, Ash, START!!!" Brendan and Drew yelled simultaneously, the two of them saving Ash from what would be by far, the most embarassing moments of his life next to his mother reminding him to change his underwear through his principal.

Ash sighed, and avoiding May's gaze (he didn't want to know whether May was laughing at him or smiling in glee at what her boyfriend had just done for her) the music was played and he started singing.

_She calls me baby, then she won't call me.  
Says she adores me and then ignores me.  
Jenny, what's the problem?  
She keeps her distance and sits on fences.  
Puts up resistance and builds defenses._

"Concentrate, Ash, CONCENTRATE." he thought encouragingly to himself, as the audience fell silent. Some girls were singing along (obviously because they've heard of the song before) and May was well...unemotional.

_Jenny, what's the problem?  
You leave me hanging on the line.  
Every time you change your mind._

"Exactly, May, what's the problem?" Ash thought distantly to himself, and in his thoughts he had almost skipped the chorus. He gained back his confidence slowly, and now instead of singing softly, he could do it calmly and contentedly.

_First You say you won't, then you say you will.  
You keep me hanging on, and we're not moving on.  
We're standing still, Jenny. You got me on my knees.  
Jenny, it's killing me._

As the music played on for a while, Ash managed a small smile at May, who nodded thoughtfully. Her lips were pursed, and she was smiling softly, as though she felt the emotions from Ash being conveyed by his singing.

Before Ash practically drowned in her eyes, Brendan sent a message to Ash's phone. The vibration of his phone caused Ash to jump slightly, much to the audience's amusement. He quickly continued.

_She needs her own space. She's playing mind games.  
Ends up at my place saying that she's changed.  
Jenny, what's the problem?  
I'm trying to read between the lines.  
You got me going out of my mind._

It was all going to end soon. The chorus was up next. Ash breathed in, an air of confidence and enjoyment surrounding him. He unveiled his innermost emotions by singing as enthusiastically as he could.

_First, you say you won't, then you say you will.  
You keep me hanging on, and we're not moving on.  
We're standing still, Jenny. You got me on my knees.  
Jenny, it's killing me. It's killing me. It's killing me.  
Jenny._

_First, you say you won't, then you say you will.  
You keep me hanging on, and we're not moving on.  
We're standing still, Jenny. You got me on my knees.  
Jenny._

_First, you say you won't, then you say you will.  
You keep me hanging on, and we're not moving on.  
We're standing still, Jenny. You got me on my knees.  
Jenny. It's killing me. It's killing me. Jenny._

The audience stood stunned for a moment, before they erupted into cheers and applause. Drew and Brendan got up to Ash, and patted him on the back, as they revelled in their immense support.

"So, May, will you forgive me? he asked, his lips quivering as he spoke into the mic. He extended his hand outwards, inviting May to him. She slowly walked towards the stage, and as Ash bent down for an expected congratulatory kiss from her, she looked at him innocently.

"Whose apology do you want? Mine or this 'Jenny' girl?"

* * *

**I shall now go back into my lair of thinking...wait, I don't have one. Damn.**

**R&R! ^.^  
**


	20. Snatch

**Hello, I'm BACK! Yep. **

**This oneshot is based off all my bag experiences everywhere. In China ('Lock it Up' was based there) I was almost robbed three times, and I've been warned about it in Malaysia and Thailand. Thieves on motorcycles grab your bag and speed away, so…it's sort of freaky. **

**Anyway, here's the well-thought oneshot! My previous oneshot was just a warm-up of sorts, so READ AND REVIEW!

* * *

**

May sighed, stirring her cup of tea slowly. Her slice of cake was left untouched, and the chocolate sprinkles on the side of the cake were dripping off.

Cuddling her arms together, she blew at the cup softly, her lips meeting the rim of the cup. She winced upon contact, but nevertheless she wrapped her fingers around the cup, shivering.

It was a cold winter's day, and May had just finished work. She strummed her fingers against the hot surface of the cup, smiling warmly to herself.

The brunette sat up straight in her seat and looked around the quaint café. There were few patrons around, and she could see why: the café was situated in the middle of nowhere. No mega-mall nearby, no train station, no bus-stop. Absolutely nothing.

She took a cursory glance at her watch, and she frowned. Drew; her now official EX-boyfriend had given it to her.

He probably wanted it back.

Pushing that thought out of her head, and wiping away a stray tear that managed to escape, she concentrated on checking the time. Dawn, that navy-haired girl was 15 minutes late.

"Ah." The word played on her lips. She frowned again, peering out of the window frantically. Where is she?

Just then, she heard the door open and she spun around, hoping to see Dawn.

"Excuse me, I would like a table for myself." The man said, and as he turned around his auburn eyes met her sapphire eyes, sparkling.

May couldn't help but blush softly. He was quite dashing; cute, in fact. He had soft yet strong auburn eyes that shone as he shuffled over to his assigned table. His raven hair was messy and ruffled in numerous spikes, and he had the most peculiar lightning-bolt marks on his cheeks. He had a suit on, but his tie was loosened and he had a brown oversized coat that seemed rather worn out.

The brunette eyed the man as he sat down, their eyes not making any contact. He pulled off the coat from his body, and May could instantly tell that he was rather well-built.

Just then, she noticed his bright eyes glancing over to her. The two stared at each other for a moment, taking in the other's charming looks, before they exchanged polite smiles.

The man gave a small, yet sincere smile, and May felt her cheeks heat up again.

She looked down at her cup again, leaning to take a whiff of its aroma, when she heard the man get up, his footsteps light-hearted. May smiled unconsciously to herself, as she looked up and saw…

"Yo, MAY!" Dawn greeted, waving her hand, and the gentleman paused in his tracks. He gave an awkward smile to May, before he strode back to his table.

May sighed again, "Hey Dawn."

"Still upset about the break-up, huh?" Dawn asked, in her loud, cheery voice. May felt the man's soft eyes wander to her table. She laughed nervously, as she glanced over to him.

His apologetic smile was sincere and truthful. She saw his eyes sparkle with mild familiarity, as though he was trying to say, "I'm sorry. I broke up with someone recently too."

She rolled her eyes, smiling. How could such a sweet guy get dumped by a girl?

"…and I have a date later, so I'll leave in 15 minutes." Dawn chattered incessantly, but May could only grasp the last part. The brunette furrowed her eyebrows.

"Uh, you'll be leaving soon, huh?" May managed, as she heard the man snicker. The 20-year-old shot him a knowing look. _Don't laugh at me._

He grinned mischievously, raising his eyebrows up and down in response. _She's still talking, you know._

"Huh?" May blurted out, and the man covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing. She scratched her head sheepishly.

"I was saying that I'll just grab some cake. C'mon May, eat up." Dawn urged her friend, who simply nodded. She picked up a fork and gobbled a mouthful of the delicious chocolate cake. That was when she realized how hungry she had been.

At that time, the man was served his cake – exactly the same as May's. The brunette raised her eyebrows curiously and he grinned again.

"Thanks," he offered, smiling widely at the young waiter who had just served him.

Another blush crept across May's face, but she decided to continue eating, as she struggled to pay attention to Dawn's juicy gossip bits. She knew that guy was studying her intently; she felt his eyes bore into her, but she let him, taking in his charming demeanor, his great looks and his warm smile.

* * *

"Thanks," Ash Ketchum smiled at the waiter, before digging into the cake. He had purposely picked the exact same choice as the brunette seated opposite, with her navy-haired friend who seemed completely oblivious to their little silent chat.

The brunette was beautiful. She had luscious brown hair that shone healthily in the sun. Her sparkly sapphire eyes were bright and seemingly happy. It was deep too; Ash could've dived into them, drown, and still be satisfied. Her skin was a pale white, but it seemed rather smooth. She had a large black jacket with a collar that covered her neck, with a bright blue scarf to boot, adorning her neck. He had noticed her shiver a few times despite the heater in the café.

How he wanted to walk over to hold her in a tight embrace, warming her with whatever meager warmth he could offer…even though he didn't really know her at all in the first place.

He saw her raised eyebrows, her large eyes looking suspiciously at the cake. _You copied._

He grinned at her, sticking a mouthful into his mouth. Licking his lips, he grinned again. _Good choice. I like this._

She laughed, conveniently when her friend burst out laughing (he remembered hearing something about fighting over a shoe, but he didn't pay much attention after that) and rolled her eyes, her smile playing on her chocolate-smeared lips. _Thank you._

Ash grinned back. He continued eating the cake, his eyes not leaving hers. _You're welcome. _He pointed to his lips, gesturing to her to clean her lips. _Chocolate smear._

The brunette pursed her lips, and she rummaged her expensive-looking handbag for her tissue. She dug and dug through the bag (it seemed rather small at first, until she started searching) but to no avail. To Ash's amusement, she started taking out everything from her bag: wallet, lipstick, books. Finally, she pulled out a tissue packet. Grinning triumphantly at him with her chocolate-stained teeth (beneath them; he knew there were pearly white teeth) she pulled out one piece and started wiping her mouth.

That was when Ash noticed that she was done, and the two ladies stood up to leave. The brunette gave him a grateful smile. _Thanks for brightening my day._

Ash gave her a reluctant look and an irresistible pout formed. _Hey, I don't know your name._

The brunette simply giggled. "Dawn, what month is it now again?"

The navy-haired girl, Dawn, shook her head in disbelief, "It's May; your month, your name."

May grinned at him. _And you?_

Ash looked around, but he couldn't find any form of ashes, so he mimicked a smoking man. He pretended to puff and dusted his 'cigarette', sweeping the ashes away. "Ash." He mouthed, winking.

A small nod. _Nice to meet you, Ash. Goodbye._

The pair exited the café, and Ash looked at the cake, sinking further in his seat. He caught a glimpse of her hair swaying in the chilly wind, and garnering his determination, he swallowed the whole slice of cake. He left a 50-dollar note on the table, waving his hands dismissively. _Keep the change, I'm chasing someone.

* * *

_

"See you." May waved politely, as Dawn and her date, Paul drove off in his Porsche. She grimaced as the car sped off, leaving a trail of chilly winds.

She shivered again, and wondered if she should've stayed in the café. Maybe they could've chatted instead of giving constant smiles.

May would never get sick of that though.

She shuffled down the pavement idly, as her thoughts drifted over to that mysterious man.

Ash.

The brunette let her handbag fall from her shoulders, and it hung limply in her hand, numb from the biting cold. _Why did I even leave?_

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her arm. It tugged wildly, before the handbag strap finally gave way. It snapped, and it flew off.

May struggled to see. She had been robbed. She watched helplessly as her handbag almost faded away in the bustling streets. "HEY, that's my bag!" she yelled, as she tried to jog with high-heels on.

She felt her ankle twist suddenly, and she collapsed on the ground, clutching her ankle in agony. "Gah!"

May felt a pair of warm hands lift her up. "Get on my motorcycle," he whispered into her ear urgently, before he smiled, "May."

With his strong arms, he heaved her onto his motorcycle. "Hold me tight; don't let go," he whispered again, ever so sweetly, ever so tenderly, as he securely and firmly helped her put on her helmet. Ash settled her into her seat, before he hastily hopped onto the front seat.

The engine roared to life, and May found her hair flying in all directions possible. She wrapped her petite arms around his waist, and she pulled herself closer to him, resting her head comfortably on his back.

"How's your ankle?" he asked worriedly, as he weaved through traffic with relative ease. May could hear his soothing voice; it was so crystal clear, so gentle despite the incessant honking.

"I-I'm fine," she muttered, and she pulled herself closer to his back, leaning across his shoulders to whisper in his ear, "Ash."

"You got that right- Hey, saw your handbag." The raven-haired man pointed to the motorcycle not too far from them. He had the neon-red handbag nestled within his armpit, his two arms steering the motorcycle.

"I'll get it." He added quickly, and he swerved through the hordes of cars, gliding past them as he neared the snatch thief.

"Be careful," she whispered, concerned.

"Yup." He replied, turning to her. His nose touched hers, and they both smiled softly. "I will." He muttered. He slowly tightened his grip on the motorcycle handle. His right arm stayed put, steering the way skillfully, while he outstretched his left hand.

"Hold on tightly," he instructed and May happily hugged him tighter, causing him to laugh. He leaned to the left, where her handbag was. The motorcycle tilted accordingly, and May started to panic. She shut her eyes, burying her face into his back.

"I believe this belongs to her!" he announced, and before the snatch thief could react, he pulled the handbag away from his grasp, before jerking the motorcycle back perpendicular to the road. He saw the traffic light turn red and he revved his engine. It roared even louder and he zoomed across to the other side safely, as the cars on the adjacent road honked noisily, driving away.

Ash peered at his rear-view mirror, and he smiled triumphantly. The thief wouldn't be able to get to them even if he tried. The raven-haired man let his motorcycle drive to a halt next to a clinic.

"You can open your eyes now," Ash joked, as he pulled the helmet carefully from her head, revealing her messy brown hair. Laughing, he took off his own helmet before placing them in his small boot at the back of the motorcycle.

Ash handed May back her handbag, grinning. "Here you go! Check if everything's intact before we get your ankle checked.

May rummaged through her handbag. Everything, even the tissue packet she had used in the café was still inside. "Everything's in, alri-!"

She forgot that she had twisted her ankle, and when May got off, she fell forth, only to be caught by Ash's strong arms. "Ah…sorry!"

Ash gave her a nod. "I'll piggy-back you." He bent down in front of her, and she lurched forward to get on his back, snuggling into his back. The raven-haired man merely grunted.

"You alright with this?" May asked innocently, her eyes shining with concern. Ash nodded his head in response, a smile forming on his lips.

"Yep. I'm not used to anyone snuggling like that." Ash reasoned, as May's arms locked around his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder playfully, and he tilted his head towards her, their lips almost brushing and their noses clashing.

"Uh, sorry." May apologised, shifting away from his face. The two laughed awkwardly as Ash carried her to the clinic for a check-up.

* * *

After an hour of limping, patiently waiting and driving, Ash dropped May, in crutches and with her foot bandaged up tightly. The brunette smiled gratefully, "Thanks for everything, Ash."

The man smiled, as he took off his helmet, tucking it faithfully under his arm. "No problem."

May leaned forward to his cheek, planting a subtle kiss on it. Ash jumped slightly, but he soon calmed down and grinned sheepishly. Rubbing his cheek and blushing madly, he asked, "Hey, uh, do you want to maybe, go out sometime? Together?"

The brunette grinned as Ash took her hand, placing a light kiss on it. "That would be nice."

Hey, maybe breaking up with Drew was good.

* * *

**I really thought of expanding the story...but I got lazy. Meeh.**

**REVIEW!**


	21. Forbidden Secret

**Heya, long time no see! And I'll be taking an even longer break next year. By the time 2010 comes, I'll take a break from FF, and I'll prepare myself for the really really important exam. It's in a year's time from now, so I should be able to go all out writing by late November next year. Yay.

* * *

**

"Night, mum," May called out, as she closed the door, cautiously locking it. She crawled beneath the sheets of her bed, lying down with a small smile gracing her lips for a moment, before she crawled out of her bed again to unlock the window.

Then, she changed into her pyjamas, making very sure it was the pink one with yellow ducks on it. The petite brunette grinned at that thought; he would be mildly surprised to see her in this peculiar set.

She looked into the mirror, her baggy oversized pyjamas hanging over her small frame. May twirled around, letting the loose clothes sway around. Clearly enjoying herself, she did a little curtsy, propped her arms straight up, and clumsily danced around, giggling with glee as she closed her eyes, smiling.

She felt a breeze enter the room, but she didn't take much notice as she continued her little role-play of a ballroom dance.

"Woah, hey, slow down there, Princess!" a male voice whispered jokingly as he caught her in his arms just as May collided into him. The girl turned around, her soft hair tickling Ash's cheek.

"Don't call me that!" she chided, as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Ash blushed lightly, and then he opened the window a little wider. He agilely leapt down, landing on a small pipe next to May's bedroom window.

"Care to join me?" he asked, as May hastily packed her pillows underneath the sheets, and then she climbed over the ledge of her window slowly. Sliding her window shut, she clambered to the side, before reaching for Ash's hand.

"Hold on, I'm planning to jump," Ash whispered, as he lifted May on his back, and then made a quick descent down with a small thud. He let her down his back. May smiled, never letting go of Ash's hand.

"So, where to?"

Ash blinked at her. "Huh?"

"...You came here, snuck me out of the palace and into the palace grounds without knowing where to go after you escape?"

The raven-haired boy laughed sheepishly. "Well, I couldn't wait to see you. In fact, I'm blaming you for cluttering up my mind with your face." He pinched her cheek playfully, and the brunette responded by grasping his hand with both of her hands, before she gently placed it down.

"Well, sorry for being pretty."

"Ah, you're not pretty..." Ash whispered, kissing her on her nose, "but you're beautiful, and really good at that." He looked up at the moon, shining down on them and giving May a pale yellow shade, and he tugged at May's arm. "C'mon, I think I know a good place."

The two made their escape, weaving through the ladyrinth of the palace, before locating the hole that Ash had dug and hid with a bush. He gestured for May to crawl through it first, before he did it himself.

"Okay, Ash, where to?" May asked, clutching his arm tightly. She ran her finger up and down his arm, applying pressure on his biceps, and then gasping in surprise at how hard it was.

"Somewhere. It's been my little sanctuary for ages, but I thought I could share it with you." Ash replied, as he pulled May, navigating through the depths of the forest. "And I just realised that you actually decided to wear that duck pyjamas you mentioned last night."

"I told you I'm not all that fancy..." May whispered, as she tried to keep in step with Ash's usual quick pace, like a ninja, or maybe like a rogue he was.

Her bare feet gracefully kept up. Ash noticed her petite movement, exactly like the princess she was. "Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming about proving that you're not fancy..."

He sighed, upon hearing May's huffs. The raven-haired boy scooped the girl up into his arms, and then he jogged his way, easily dodging the loose vines and branches that May could never dodge if she ran at that speed.

Instinctively, the girl snuggled up in his chest, listening to his quickening heartbeat, and she shut her eyes from the harsh breeze.

* * *

_"Sorry, princess, I'm afraid I can't let you go," the man said in a sing-song voice. His accomplices chuckled, and they brandished their knives at her. _

_May backed away, step by step, and she turned around. A dead, solid end._

_"Heh, we're gonna be rich, man!" he guffawed, and the other men did so as well. One of them grabbed her arm roughly, swinging her around like a little rag doll. _

_"A-Ah!" she cried in pain, and she started to sob quietly._

_Then, she heard a voice. "Hey, pick on someone your own size!" The voice paused, as though in deep thought, and soon, his warm laughter filled the air. "Oh, wait, I doubt there ARE any of your size."_

_The presumed leader of the gang spun around, and he laughed at the scrawny rogue. May looked at him. She recognized that insane hairstyle, and those trademark lightning bolt marks. Her father, King Norman, was lamenting over how that particular rogue could never be caught._

_Ash. Ash Ketchum. Yes, that was his name._

_"You little punk think you can handle all of us?" one of the gang members asked gruffly._

_"Yup. But you know, you shouldn't treat a pretty princess like her THAT way," he remarked casually. He strode forward boldly towards her, but he was of course, blocked by almost the whole gang except for the one holding her hostage._

_"Get out, puny!" one of them yelled, and he tried to land a punch on Ash. The boy swiftly side-stepped a little, before violently slamming him down with his leg. Then, he smirked._

_"Ahh, anymore?"_

_Instantly, all of them lunged towards him. Ash looked at them, and then looked at May, before he sent most of them flying back with a spinning kick. As they reeled back, a few others took out their knives to attack him.  
_

_"Ash!" May yelled worriedly, and the boy jerked a little, caught off guard that she knew his name. A knife happened to cut his arm, and Ash stumbled back._

_"Not so tough now, eh?" the assailant yelled, and Ash smirked. He ran up towards the gang member stealthily with extreme speed, and then kneed him in the stomach painfully. Then, he wrenched out the bloodied knife from his arm._

_"Now we fight fair," Ash commented, and he made quick work of the rest of the gang members, threatening them with the knife before attacking them with his own personal lethal weapon - his kicks._

_Finally, he cleared the way, and he strode confidently to the final gang member. Dropping the knife for convenience, he smiled. "Care to let me have the princess if you want your arms intact?"_

_The gang member dropped her and ran away._

_May landed on the ground with a soft thud. Ash smiled softly, and he offered her his hand. _

_"No thanks, I don't receive help from a rogue."_

_"I'm not surprised, coming from a princess. Well, I guess that's how you know my name, then. Bye." Ash waved at her, and then he shuffled away._

_May blinked, and then she yelled, "Heeey! Thanks for your help!"  
_

_That was their meeting, and that was their beginning.  
_

_

* * *

_

A while later, she heard him whisper, "Here it is."

He walked over to the side of the small waterfall, before plopping down on the grass, still craddling May. Her feet grazed the wild grass, and she flinched at the foreign touch.

Her eyes fluttered open, clutching Ash's tattered shirt. She examined the area with bright curious eyes, and her eyes shone at the marvellous sight before her.

"A waterfall?" she asked. Hesitatingly, May struggled out of Ash's embrace, and dipped her foot into the pool of water below the waterfall. "Ah!" she gasped as she tumbled backwards, her foot quickly withdrawn from the frigid cold water.

"Heh, not used to cold water right?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow. May looked at him and nodded in embarassment. He smiled as he took off his shoes and walked straight into the water, soaking his pants. "Well, not to freak you out, but I bathed here a few times!"

May widened her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me. I can't adapt to this!"

Ash gave a small smile, with a twinge of sadness. "Then I'll have to be a prince to marry you, right?"

The brunette flinched at his direct remark. "I won't marry Drew, I promise!" She stood up and immediately took a bold step into the water. Ash could see her biting her lip in resistance to the cold temperatures.

The attempt made Ash smile. "Come here," he beckoned, but he didn't let her. Ash swept her up again, into his arms. He then shifted her onto his back, allowing her feet to dip into the water. "We can always run away from this country. You know, see new sights, meet new people!"

May laid her chin on Ash's shoulder. "If you know the way to any country."

"I'll work hard. For us. I'll work my way up, and I'll make sure that someday, you'll live like a princess again." Ash assured her. He settled her back down onto the ground. She sat down, her legs submerged into the water, and she looked up at Ash, still standing in the water.

"But why?"

Ash cocked his head to the side. "Huh?"

"Why must we run? Why can't we just get married and live happily ever after? Why?" she asked, a small tear escaping. She looked down at her hands, and whispered quietly to herself, "Why can't my parents just _accept _you?"

"I'm no prince, so this is our forbidden secret, hm?" he whispered back. He bent down, kissed her tenderly on the lips. Ash sucked on her bottom lip teasingly. "Don't cry, my dear princess."

May sniffed, and she pulled Ash for a tight embrace, closing her eyes, enjoying the moment. "You are a prince. My prince."

"Drew's a real prince though. Your fiance, apparently." Ash muttered bitterly, his eyes narrowing. May pulled away from him, and touched his cheek.

"I won't leave you. I won't, I really won't," May promised grimly, as she looked into those deep auburn eyes before him.

Ash frowned. "We can't be together...not here, not like this." He looked at the crystal clear water quietly.

"How can you say that without even trying?" May almost yelled back, her eyes filled with tears. "Everything will work out! It has to! We'll make it happen, okay?"

The rogue looked at the princess of the land, the one he loved dearly, and he nodded in agreement. "We'll think of a way."

The two held hands, looked deep into each other's eyes, wondering about their fate, their destinies.

"Come on," Ash whispered, and he scrambled out of the waters. May nodded, and she let Ash wipe off the tears streaming down her face. Then, she climbed onto Ash's back, and they both ran back to the palace walls.

He slowly watched her crawl into the hole, and then covered up the hole quickly, before escaping off into the day.

May listened for the rustle of the leaves signalling that he had covered up their entrance. Then, she stumbled back into her bedroom, drifting off to a short sleep in tears.

* * *

**Ahh, this was so tragic! My first! O.O**

**Anyway, REVIEW, KAY?!  
**


	22. You Found Me Again

**Hello! ;D This oneshot may be emo and sad in a cheesy sort of way, since most of my stories reflect my mood. T.T So...yeah.

* * *

**

The bustling streets of Goldenrod City was no place for a guy like Ash.

"S-Sorry!" Ash yelled furtively, as he turned back to look at the person he had bumped into. He frowned when he realised he didn't _know _who he bumped into.

Nevertheless, he trudged on, looking out for any signs of a young, pretty brunette walking out of the radio station, laughing cheerily on the phone, perhaps.

The raven-haired man sighed, and shoved his hands into his pocket. He looked at himself in the glass reflection as he passed by a shop. He looked _terrible_; no one would have a good impression of him at first sight, really.

_This is stupid...I can't believe I'm doing this._

He shuffled around the area nervously, his eyes scanning the area. The Goldenrod Street Committee had put in a great effort to ensure that the area carried a hearty, Christmas atmosphere, in tie with the cold winter that graced the Johto region. Christmas trees were lined up neatly along the rows of shops and shopping centres. Christmas lights greeted pedestrians with their warm hues of red, green and the occasional yellow and blue. The pavements were decked out in layers of snow, offering a great play area for children to make Christmas angels.

Young volunteers dressed up as Santa Claus walked about, offering free hugs and the trademark 'ho-ho-ho' of Santa Claus. They rang golden bells, and some even got together to belt out a few Christmas classics.

It certainly felt like Christmas.

Ash shuffled about the area, until he finally settled down on a bench near the radio station. He closed his eyes drearily, wondering if she would come out anytime.

* * *

_"Hello, this is Dawn, your favourite__ DJ, and_ _some would say the best DJ the world has ever known!" A slight chuckle. _

_Ash stood up from his couch to turn up the volume._

_"Anyway, today we have a really special guest! She's the brand new, uprising superstar-in-training. She released her chart-topping album just weeks ago, with 2 hit singles, and she's currently planning a world tour across Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. Here's May Maple!"_

_Loud applause was heard in the background. A melodic, cheerful laugh resounded and made Ash flinch involuntarily._

_"Hello, I'm May Maple, and I'll be your celebrity DJ for today!" That voice. It hasn't changed a bit, if it was really her. _

_Ash shuffled closer to the radio. He knew her, perhaps. It sounded so much like her.  
_

_Dawn laughed. "So, May, you excited 'bout today?"_

_"Yeah, I mean, it's not everyday that you get to be a DJ! Especially with you, Dawn!"_

_"Aw, shucks May, that is sweet of you!" The tone turned more confident and loud, "Anyway, since May's here, I figured you wouldn't mind any fan calls?"_

_"U-Uh, sure! I'd love to!"_

_The raven-haired man let out a smile. Maybe he could call, ask her if she knew him. Or maybe if she studied at Pallet High. Perhaps..._

_"Okay, listeners! You just call our usual number, and you'll be entitled to one question for Maaaay Maple!" Dawn cried out eagerly._

_"R-Right, okay, don't make it complicated, okay?" May reminded gently, and her charming chortle made Ash's heart flutter. It must be her! It has to be! He remembered her sweet voice, singing in the restrooms discreetly even though he was outside, just waiting for her._

_Waiting to see her beautiful face light up, waiting to see her wonderful sunshine smile when she sees him. Waiting to hug her, kiss her, and tell her how much he loved her, over and over again.  
_

_

* * *

_

"Ugh, why did I ever do it...?" Ash whispered, before burying his face into his hands. "Whywhywhy?"

"Thanks _so _much for joining me on the show, May!" a shrill voice squealed, causing Ash to jerk up in rapt attention. Dawn. "It's been so _exciting _being with you!"

"Well, I'm, uh, _glad _that I got to meet you too, Dawn," May replied, giving a small smile. Ash tilted his head in surprise. He'd seen that smile before; it was May's insincere smile, her sad smile.

* * *

_"Well?" Ash removed the blindfold, his bright eyes gleaming with eagerness. It made May grin. "How's the necklace?"_

_May looked at herself in the mirror. She was 15, and her present was right around her neck._

_But, she thought sweetly, my real present is right behind me, asking me if I like the necklace. I'm so glad that he's here today. But...I have to tell him about it. Today._

_"It's wonderful. Thanks, Ash," she whispered softly, as she let out her smile. Ash simply frowned at her. He knew that smile all too well. They were friends since they were in pre-school, watching Barney together, and they grew up to love each other in an indescribable way. _

_"What's wrong, May?" the boy asked worriedly, as he pulled her into an embrace from the back. He chortled. "I know you hate accessories, but-"_

_"I'm going away, Ash," the brunette finally sputtered out, before she pulled away from him, tears brimming. "I'm going this Saturday to a new school in Hoenn."_

_Ash stumbled back. He felt his heart crumble into tons of little shards. "B-But why?"_

_"It's my dad. H-He got a new job there," she spoke softly, her sapphire eyes blinking back tears. "I-I have to go with him, and Mum and Max."_

_The boy widened his eyes. "But why didn't you tell me earlier?!"_

_The brunette lowered her head, "I-I didn't want you to be-"_

_"I can't believe you! We've been best friends for years now, and you can't tell me this huge bit of news?!" Ash hollered. "Didn't we promise not to keep any secrets?" He frowned, and taking a huge breath he stormed out of May's room without a word. _

_"Ash! Ash, wait!" May yelled at him, her tears flowing freely. "No, don't go!"

* * *

_

_Please don't leave me alone...

* * *

_

May's sapphire eyes looked around in sadness, failing to notice Ash's presence at the raven-haired man simply darted his head to the side, tipping his cap to shadow his downcast eyes.

Dawn noticed May's sombre mood, but nevertheless she tried to cheer the brunette up. "C'mon, May, how 'bout we go out for a shopping spree right about now?"

May smiled again. "N-No thanks," then she changed her tone into a forced, happier one, "but I'd absolutely _love _to go out with you sometime! I bet that the shopowners around the vicinity will be dumbstruck by our presence!"

Dawn grinned, patting May's shoulders happily, as though she actually believed May's smile. "Okay! I'd be _honoured_!" She whipped around, her blue hair tossed about in the chilly wind. "Okay, see you! And...if you need anything, just call, okay, May?" Dawn reminded softly, before she broke into a grin again. "Bye!"

May blinked, slightly stunned by Dawn's offer. "U-Uh, sure, bye!"

The brunette turned around, and Ash once again looked away.

* * *

_"Okay, we have our final caller on the line now! So, dude, what's your name?" Dawn yelled enthusiastically in the phone, and on radio. Ash gulped, suddenly forgetting his name._

_Ash! Right, right, that's my name._

_But wait! I can't just say out my name! May might recogni-_

_"Hello? You there, dude?"_

_Ash finally spoke. "Uh, hi."_

_"Hiya, Mr. Blur and Mildly Deaf!" Dawn exclaimed, in an exaggerated manner, taking extra caution to stretch her words and emphasise all of them. "Haha, kidding, kidding. So, what's your name?"_

_"Uh...call me Ash."_

_"A-Ash?" May spoke, and Ash flinched at her voice. "I-Is that your name? Ash?"  
_

_Now that he was on the phone with the two, Ash could hear Dawn whisper something inaudible. May muttered something that sounded like a 'no, it's okay'._

_Finally, Dawn started, "Okaaaay, Ash! What's your question for Miss May Maple here?"_

_Ash slumped back in his couch. His heart palpitated wildly. "D-Did you remember Staircase B?"_

_"S-Staircase B...?"_

_"Yeah. Do you remember how you almost fell there? And how you scrawled your name, underneath the railing, saying that someday, you'll come back from your big job and laugh when you see it?"_

_"I-I do...! Ash, is that you, really?" May whispered, her meek voice probing._

_Oh, my goodness. It really is that May Maple, who sat on the swings and stairs with her legs ajar, who didn't mind getting her shirt all crinkled up and dirty, who enjoyed burying her head in his chest...!_

_He hung up the phone.

* * *

_

_The radio was kept on, as Ash resisted his tears, listening as May cried out his name, live. "Ash! W-Where are you?"_

_A commercial came up soon after, followed by a few songs._

_Ash just lay down on his couch, and started to shed his tears.

* * *

_

_Why did you leave?

* * *

_

"Why did you leave, Ash?" her voice resounded faintly in his ears, and Ash soon realised that he wasn't imagining voices in his head anymore.

He whipped his head around, only to brush his nose roughly against May's. The brunette winced, and she rubbed her nose wearily. She nevertheless continued. "I-I'm sorry about that, ten years ago."

She stood up from the bench. "I-I just thought that you'd feel hurt and sad if I left you. I...I didn't want you to be so upset before I left for Hoenn. I...just wanted you to be you, not a depressed guy who's upset about me leaving..."

She turned and faced him, "I knew you'd be upset even before I told you about me leaving." She smiled softly, and Ash blinked. A true, _genuine _smile, just for him. He wanted to kiss her smile, make sure she would never use her sad face ever again, on anyone. Then, she broke into a grin, "Of course I knew. We're _best _friends."

And right there, at that moment, he already knew _he _wanted to be the one to make her happy.

May sniffed, then sneezed lightly. Her cheeks were tinted a deep red, form the cold. Ash sighed, and he reached out to hold both of her hands. He stood up, pulling her closer, holding her by her elbows. "I'm sorry, too," Ash apologised sincerely, looking at the tearful brunette.

"What for?"

"For not understanding in the first place," he replied simply, with a small smile on his face. "I never knew why didn't you tell me about it, right? I just walked out on you, like that."

He reached down for her hands again, before pulling her closer to his body for an embrace. He whiffed her familiar shampoo, felt her smooth skin brush against his. He let go of her hands, only to hold her tenderly by the waist. Held her even closer to him, never wanting to let her go, ever again.

May closed her eyes, as she brought up her hands to hug him back, as hard as she could. "I...I missed you, Ash."

Ash lifted up her chin when he felt her snuggle against his chest. "I miss you too, May." He slowly shifted his head closer, teasing her lips with his warm breath, before he teasingly landed a peck on her nose. He grinned at her. "Just the way you liked it, huh?"

The brunette simply grinned back. Her eyes gleamed in agreement. "I couldn't agree more," she whispered before she let Ash capture her lips with his own, their hearts beating as one.

_Just the way they did it, ten years ago, under the twilight sky. Together, in love, and never wanting to let go.

* * *

_

_You found me again.

* * *

_

**T.T Review!**


	23. Wish

**I think this could be the first non AU oneshot I'll write. Anyway, LONG TIME NO SEE! :D

* * *

**

It was a beautiful day, but the atmosphere didn't quite fit. Ash, Brock, May and Max were due to split ways by tomorrow morning. Ash and Brock would be taking a ferry back to Kanto, May would be headed to Johto and Max would be left at home, waiting for his turn to start a new adventure. Ash and Brock would later split ways, with Brock going back to the gym and Ash going off to the Sinnoh region.

It felt as though time flew much faster in Hoenn than anywhere else. Ash didn't feel the sense of sadness when he parted with Misty; he was sad, but happy for Misty because she had finally proven herself to her sisters and would be running the gym all by herself (and also because by that time, she had apparently forgotten about how he wrecked her bike)

May did not know this, but Ash felt something tugging at his heartstrings whenever she mentioned how excited she was, going off on her own in Johto. Sure, he was happy for her, but it felt as though he didn't want her to leave his side. He had tried hinting; a few times in fact, that she could follow him to Sinnoh to pursue her coordinating dreams, but May had already done her research – Sinnoh contests were new and there was no competition for her. Johto was far more advanced and many strong coordinators, including Drew himself, were flocking over to Johto. It was the perfect place for challenges.

"A new beginning; can you believe it?" she exclaimed, quite a few times, as she continued her research at the Pokémon Centre. Ash was sitting next to her; it sounded exciting too, in a coordinator's point of view. Johto even had a new nickname – Land of Contests.

He was pretty excited too, about Sinnoh. All new Pokémon have been officially documented, and a lab has opened up in the region to register new Pokémon trainers. The thrill of beating new gym leaders, capturing new Pokémon, training them, meeting new friends…

On that note, he didn't think any friend would ever replace May.

Night time came slowly that day. They were in the middle of the woods, and they had set up camp there. The four of them sat in silence, enjoying Brock's food for the last time. Perhaps it was the company that made the dinner all too special.

Ever since Ash finished participating in the Hoenn league, the magic of their time together have disappeared. It was as though they already knew what was next – saying goodbye. It was just that they never wanted to bring it up, never wanted to leave.

"Who wants seconds?" Brock asked, but he didn't need a response; he scooped up some chicken soup for all of them.

"May, you want some?" the gym leader asked, his ladle ready.

The brunette looked up. "No thanks," she said, and she stood up. "I'm going for a walk."

"Don't forget your Pokémon, May," Ash reminded, and Blaziken, who had finished his meal, followed his trainer, trailing behind. He could sense that she needed the space to think, especially what she confessed last night to him…

Max sighed. "She's been acting odd ever since we talked about our plans. When Ash said he was going to Sinnoh, and Brock said he was staying in Kanto, May just…broke. "

Brock frowned. "We're all going to different regions, aren't we?"

The boys all nodded in unison, and Ash watched the fire Blaziken had set up. He wondered if May was okay.

"I'll go for a walk myself. Come on, Pikachu," he called out, and Pikachu popped out of his tent, along with Skitty. It seemed as though they didn't want to leave as well.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu responded, and he trotted behind.

* * *

He found her at the cliff path that overlooked the region, just as he had expected. He figured that May would like the place, after they walked past it that day.

Blaziken grunted slightly, and Ash could hear the brunette say "I knew that you'd find me."

Ash laughed nervously. "Of course. We've done this so many times, I can practically predict which spot you found the best."

He sat down next to her and felt the grass beneath the palm of his hand. They had been doing this for quite some time; it started when they were both paired up to find firewood. It started off as a small break from carrying the firewood; it soon morphed into a place where they can both talk about anything, under the night sky.

"So…you're leaving for Sinnoh, huh?" May asked, and she smiled at him. "I bet it'll be fun."

"And so is Johto," Ash replied and he grinned as he relieved the memories of his past. "You'll love it there. I heard they're going through a major development there-"

"Maybe I will like it, or maybe I won't…" May mumbled, but Ash heard it. She turned to look at him again. "I don't know; I feel torn. I was seriously contemplating following you to Sinnoh, because I'm not too confident in myself to go off by myself, but everyone's been telling me to head to Johto. Even Drew."

Ash grunted instinctively when he heard Drew's name. It was like an unsaid rivalry between the two of them; whoever is able to convince May to stay by their side wins.

"I know you don't like him, but he's right, no matter how much I want to deny it myself." May said, and Ash remembered that in their secret get-aways he had confessed that he didn't like Drew. "So I'm going to Johto."

It was only when Ash met her eyes did he realize she was crying. She didn't make a sound, until her eyes met his. She rubbed away her tears. "Sorry."

Ash patted her shoulder lightly, and then squeezed it firmly. "It's okay. I bet we'll cross paths soon enough. Sure, we won't have these secret meetings and such…but as long as we have memories of each other, we'll never be forgotten. You'll be in my heart, and I'll be in yours…right?"

May grinned. "Yeah, of course. But…we'll take a while before we see each other, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe. I heard there's a new region that's being researched right now."

"And Kanto is being groomed to host coordinators as well."

"We may take months to meet up again-"

"Years, actually," May sighed, "or never again."

"D-Don't say that…" Ash exclaimed, but he knew that the possibility was there.

He stood up and gazed at the night sky that have blanketed the Hoenn region. It would be a while before he could be here again…

"I know!" Ash beamed at May at his idea. "What about…we have a date?"

This caused May to blush. "U-Um, a date…?"

"Yeah! We could meet here once our journeys are over! I'll watch your contests and you can watch the Sinnoh League! That way, once our journeys are over, one year from now…we can meet here!"

May looked around the area, and then she stood up and nodded eagerly. "It's a deal then! Oh, and to remind ourselves…" she took out her spare bandana in her pocket as she said that. "Will you give me a lift by that tree?"

"Uh, sure." Ash held his hands together as a stepping point for May, and she was easily hoisted up to the highest branch. Gingerly, she tied the bandana into a ribbon around the tree, before she attempted to step down. She stumbled a little, and soon she found herself falling. "Ah!"

"May!" he yelped as he caught her in mid-air, grabbing her by the waist and then toppling over.

"Oh, Ash, you okay?" she got off him and frowned.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay…" He let go of her and continued to lie down on the grass. May crawled towards him and lay down next to him, her hand naturally reaching for his. They both stayed there like that for a while, before Ash noticed, in the corner of his eye, a shooting star. Immediately, he bolted up, and tugged at May's hand. "A shooting star!"

May looked up, but the star had disappeared; it was too late. But then she saw more streaks of light emerging. She gaped in amazement as Ash exclaimed, "A meteor shower!"

"Pikapi!"

"Blaze!"

To Ash's amusement, May was fervently making a wish upon a meteor shower. "I don't think they're stars, May."

_I wish that Ash and I will be together, forever, and may no distance tear us apart._

May pinched his arm playfully. "Of course I know that…but still, it's like a star right? That's all that matters to me!"

When the meteor shower ended, May and Ash stood up, ready to leave. "So Ash, what did you wish for?"

Ash laughed, and he grinned at May. "Nothing much, because my wish already came true. At least, I know it will."

_I wish that we will meet again, May._

"How about yours, May?"

"Oh, my wish? I guess it's already been granted, but I'm just wishing, just in case."

Ash nodded, and he squeezed her hand. "We'll see each other again, and again, and again; I promise you, May. Okay?"

The brunette nodded in agreement. "Sure thing. Of course."

As the two friends left the lookout point, they knew that one year from now, they would be together again, laughing together and sharing yet another memory together. Perhaps by then, they would confess their feelings to the other, because they both made the same wish together.

_I wish that you will love me.

* * *

_**GOSH T_T I'm so sorry, this probably sounds like some friendship fic, but I realised that if I made them confess it'd be pretty weird. DON'T KILL ME! -hides behind somewhere- **

**Anyway, I'll be ending this oneshot at Chapter 25 AKA oneshot number 25. And maybe I'll be keeping to non AU because lately I tried watching Pokémon and it's been getting boring. I still support Advanceshipping, but I realised that in nearly all of my oneshots, both Ash and May are OOC which really irks me. And since I've been deprived of watching May and Max ever since, oh, I don't know, years ago, I don't think I have May's personality there. Which makes me more unmotivated to do Pokémon fics. I don't know, it's just a feeling. But I'll continue both this oneshot collection and Love Ignites, my other Advanceshipping story, and finish them all before I take my leave from writing Pokémon fics, if I choose to. Oh well.  
**


End file.
